On this day
July 24 in literary history
Literary history for July 24: 19 writers born, 16 writers who died and 1 literary events from 1574 to 2015. Born on this day: Aaron Elkins, Pat Oliphant, Ermanno Olmi.
Writers born on July 24
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Aaron Elkins | American mystery writer |
| 1935 | Pat Oliphant | Australian-American political cartoonist (1935–2026) |
| 1931 | Ermanno Olmi | Italian film director and screenwriter (1931–2018) |
| 1930 | Alfred Balk | American non-fiction writer (1930–2010) |
| 1922 | Madeleine Ferron | Canadian writer |
| 1916 | John D. MacDonald | American writer (1916–1986) |
| 1914 | Alan Waddell | Australian writer |
| 1912 | Essie Summers | New Zealand writer |
| 1900 | Zelda Fitzgerald | American writer (1900–1948) |
| 1895 | Robert Graves | English poet, novelist and critic (1895–1985) |
| 1886 | Jun'ichirō Tanizaki | Japanese author (1886–1965) |
| 1878 | Lord Dunsany | Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist (1878–1957) |
| 1867 | E. F. Benson | English novelist and writer (1867–1940) |
| 1864 | Frank Wedekind | German playwright (1864–1918) |
| 1860 | Alphonse Mucha | Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist (1860–1939) |
| 1857 | Henrik Pontoppidan | Danish writer, Nobel Laureate |
| 1802 | Alexandre Dumas | French writer and dramatist (1802–1870) |
| 1725 | John Newton | Anglican cleric, hymn-writer, and abolitionist (1725–1807) |
| 1574 | Thomas Platter the Younger | Swiss physician and writer |
Writers who died on July 24
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ingrid Sischy | South African-American writer and editor (1952–2015) |
| 2014 | Hans-Hermann Sprado | German journalist and author (1956–2014) |
| 2013 | Virginia E. Johnson | American sexologist and writer (1925–2013) |
| 2012 | Themo Lobos | Themo Lobos, Chilean author and illustrator (born 1928) |
| 2011 | David Servan-Schreiber | French physician, neuroscientist and author |
| 2001 | Georges Dor | Canadian author |
| 2000 | Ahmad Shamlou | Iranian poet and writer (1925–2000) |
| 1991 | Isaac Bashevis Singer | Jewish American author (1903–1991) |
| 1986 | Qudrat Ullah Shahab | Pakistani writer and diplomat |
| 1969 | Witold Gombrowicz | Polish writer (1904–1969) |
| 1957 | Sacha Guitry | French actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (1885–1957) |
| 1927 | Ryūnosuke Akutagawa | Japanese writer (1892–1927) |
| 1908 | Vicente Acosta | Salvadoran poet |
| 1739 | Benedetto Marcello | Italian composer and writer (1686–1739) |
| 1685 | Ivan Ančić | Croatian religious writer (1624–1685) |
| 1612 | John Salusbury (poet) | John Salusbury, Welsh politician and poet (born 1567) |
Literary events on July 24
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1847 | Richard March Hoe, American inventor, patents the rotary-type printing press. |
Featured
Aaron Elkins (1935) — Aaron Elkins is an American mystery writer. He is best known for his series of novels featuring forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver—the 'skeleton detective'.
Pat Oliphant (1935) — Patrick Bruce Oliphant was an Australian-born American political cartoonist whose career spanned more than 60 years. His body of work primarily focused on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particularly known for his caricatures of American presidents and other powerful leaders.
Ermanno Olmi (1931) — Ermanno Olmi was an Italian film director and screenwriter best known for directing Il Posto (1961) and The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1977), which won the Palme d'Or.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.