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Seven years in the making, Samuel Johnson wrote alone while his landlord provide
1755 Event

April 15

Johnson's Dictionary Published: The English Language Defined

Seven years in the making, Samuel Johnson wrote alone while his landlord provided just enough tea to keep him awake. He didn't just define words; he settled arguments over their meaning, charging a king's ransom for every entry. The book cost him forty pounds and nearly bankrupted him, yet it gave England a voice that could argue with precision. Now when you correct someone's grammar at the dinner table, remember that one tired man in a London garret decided you should know better.

April 15, 1755

271 years ago

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