Browsing: Literature

A Brief History On June 26, 1997, the first of the Harry Potter series of novels by JK Rowling was published in Britain.  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the first of what have been seven novels so far, featuring the young title wizard and his friends in their schooling and other adventures. Digging Deeper Not only have the books sold over 600 million copies, eight feature films starring the characters have also been made, pulling in a staggering $7.7 billion at the box office. Obviously, Ms. Rowling has profited greatly from the success of her iconic creation, and…

A Brief History On June 21, 1973, the US Supreme Court handed down a decision in Miller v. California, establishing a way to determine if something is “free speech” guaranteed by the 1st Amendment or if it is obscene. Digging Deeper Referred to as the “Miller Test,” SCOTUS determined that three factors must be present for some sort of expression to be considered obscene and not covered under “free speech.”  These three factors are: “Whether ‘the average person, applying contemporary community standards’, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, Whether the work depicts…

A Brief History On June 10, 1943, Hungarian-Jewish inventors Laszlo and György Biro were granted a patent in Britain for the successful modern ballpoint pen.  Prior to their invention, attempts to make ballpoint pens failed to find the balance between ink that would be liquid in the pen and yet dry quickly on paper. Digging Deeper American John J. Loud had invented a ballpoint pen half a century before the Biro brothers, but his attempt, like others, was not successful. Laszlo was the genius behind the mechanics of the workable pen, while György made the ink work properly.  The brothers…

A Brief History On May 21, 1703, English writer Daniel Defoe was arrested and jailed for the crime of “seditious libel,” his offense being the writing of a pamphlet critical of rich and powerful English authorities. Digging Deeper Defoe was the author of Robinson Crusoe, a novel that has reportedly been translated more than any other book in history besides the Bible.  Defoe was also a poet and pamphleteer, often treading on the toes of those high and mighty in charge of English society.  Unfortunately for Defoe, these pillars of the community were sensitive about criticism and being called hypocrites,…

A Brief History On May 6, 2014, Canadian author Farley Mowat died only a week before turning 93 years old. Digging Deeper A World War II veteran, Mowat saw combat in Sicily and Italy with the infantry and later served as an intelligence officer, including working with a German general to allow the Allies to drop food and supplies to Dutch civilians behind German lines. Promoted to the rank of Captain, Mowat would have been promoted to major had he stayed in the Army.  After the war, he began a career in writing and environmental causes and was known as…