Don Quixote Published: The First Modern Novel Arrives
A book about a lanky, delusional knight who fights windmills and believes they're giants — and somehow becomes the first truly modern novel. Cervantes wrote it while broke, imprisoned, and missing a hand from a brutal naval battle. And yet, this mad story of a wannabe hero would reshape literature forever: no more pure romance, but something messier, more human. One man's ridiculous quest became a mirror for human delusion, hope, and impossible dreams.
January 16, 1605
421 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on January 16
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Ein Heer der Normannen unter Robert Guiskard nimmt die byzantinische Hafenstadt Durazzo ein.
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