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#OnThisDay in 1851 Moby-Dick was first published. Like many works of art, the novel would remain unrecognized during Melville's lifetime, selling only 3715 copies and earning the author a mere $556.37 before his death in 1891. A posthumous reprint garnered some critical interest, and slowly a following was built, leading to Carl Van Doren's 1921 claim that Moby-Dick was "one of the greatest... in the... literature of the world." #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1896 Anton Chekov vowed to never write another play after a rather embarrassing opening night of The Seagull. If you've ever witnessed a toddler or teenager throwing a tantrum, claiming they're never going to do something again, you can guess how long that declaration lasted. The Seagull is now considered the first of Chekhov's four major works with Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard. #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1950 the world was introduced to the magical land of Narnia with the publication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The first glimpse of the story came to Lewis at the age of 16 when he imagined a fawn walking through a snowy wood. Many years later that fawn became Mr Tumnus and Narnia was born. Another beloved character didn't appear in the story's earliest drafts, can you guess who? #HistoryGetsLIT

(10/15) #OnThisDay in 1915 the first issue of Detective Story Magazine was published. One of the first pulp magazines devoted to mystery stories, Detective Story ran until 1949. Originally published twice a month, the magazine's success eventually led to weekly issues. Authors whose stories appeared in the magazine include Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Johnston McCulley, and Arthur B Reeve. #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1926 A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh was first published. Inspired by Milne's son Christopher Robin and a female black bear from Canada, the book was an immediate success. Christopher Robin Milne's original stuffies which inspired Pooh and his friends were donated in 1987 to the New York Public Library. After the real Winnie passed, they found evidence of severe gum disease, likely from the honey buns fed to her by fans #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1950 the first Peanuts comic strip featuring Good Ol' Charlie Brown appeared. Snoopy would make his first appearance two days later, and in December of the same year Charlie would first don his iconic yellow and black shirt. Find an awesome timeline of the strip here: https://peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/Peanuts_timeline #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1881 Treasure Island began serialization in Young Folks children's magazine. It proved less-than-popular in serialized form, children complained at the slow pacing, but its following grew one published as a complete novel. In the ensuing century and (nearly) a half, it has become one of the most adapted works in the English language (once the Muppets have a version, you know it's a hit!). #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1856 American author and child welfare advocate Kate Douglas Wiggin was born. Best known for writing the children's classic Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Wiggin devoted much of her life to bettering the lives of children. She and her sister Nora established the first free Kindergarten program in San Francisco in 1878 and the first training school for Kindergarten teachers. #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1950 Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize, for her second book of poetry: Annie Allen. The collection told the story of the titular Annie Allen, growing up and coming of age and dealing with poverty, racism, and war. While it was only her second book, Brooks had been published countless times, starting at the age of 13 with the poem 'Eventide' in American Childhood. #HistoryGetsLIT

#OnThisDay in 1908 Gaston Leroux' The Phantom of the Opera began serialization in Le Gaulois. Leroux's inspiration for the tale came from a real fire which caused a chandelier to crash, and rumors of ghosts haunting Paris' famed Palais Garnier. The story was not immediately successful, but slowly grew a sort of cult fan base. (Cont'd in comments) #HistoryGetsLIT