- 1630 - Charles Cotton, English poet born
- 1853 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer died
- 1886 - Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet born
- 1903 - Johan Borgen, Norwegian author born
- 1914 - Philip E. High, British Science fiction author born
- 1926 - Harper Lee, American author born
- 1941 - Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet born
- 1948 - Terry Pratchett, English author born
- 2000 - Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer died