CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

William Shakespeare - The Most Interesting Man In The World

In honor of Shakespeare’s 449th birthday week, we thought it would be fun to compile a list of little known facts about one of the most important playwrights in the history of mankind. 

1. Born and died on April 23rd.
2. Introduced almost 3,000 words to the English language, including ‘Puking,’ ‘Swagger,’ and ‘Eyeball.’
3. His wife was named Anne Hathaway.
4. Shakespeare performed in many of his own plays.
5. Abraham Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth was a famous Shakespearean actor.
6. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Shakespeare wrote about one-tenth of the most quotable quotations ever written or spoken in English.
7. The Shakespeare blood line ended in 1670 with the death of his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
8. Shakespeare’s parents, along with his children were almost certainly illiterate. 
9. Shakespeare’s father, John was appointed the official ‘Ale Taster’ of Stratford-upon-Avon meaning he was responsible for testing and tasting bread and malt liquors.
10. He married his wife, Anne Hathaway when she was three months pregnant.

Chile Prepares To Exhume Pablo Neruda’s Remains

via NPR:

The body of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is scheduled to be exhumed Monday morning. He died days after the 1973 coup that killed his friend President Salvador Allende and ushered Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power. Neruda’s driver alleges the poet was murdered by the Pinochet regime.

In February, a court ordered his remains to be exhumed and examined for signs of poisoning, and preparations began Sunday at Neruda’s tomb on the Chilean coast.

“The best candy shop a child can be left alone in, is the library” - Maya Angelou

San Francisco Public Library Makes Super Bowl Bet With Baltimore Library

Taken from SFist:

In what’s being called a “cross-country battle of the libraries,” the fine folks at San Francisco Public Library have placed a bet with the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Both of them involving reciting poems dedicated to the other city. Both of them involve library types wearing jerseys. We love it. So will you. Here are the details:

If the 49ers win on Sunday (which, let’s face it, they will), Pratt Library CEO Carla Hayden must recite George Sterling’s iconic San Francisco poem, “The Cool, Grey City of Love” in Baltimore’s Central Library Main Hall while wearing a 49ers jersey. If the Ravens win (which, how adorable), the San Francisco city librarian Luis Herrera will have to recite Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” in the atrium of the San Francisco Main Library wearing a Ravens jersey.

“We are confident about the Niners victory on Sunday and we sure hope Dr. Hayden looks good in red and gold,” chirped Herrera. “As a huge sports fan, I am thrilled to support our football team while spotlighting two great library systems and two great literary cities.”

Click here to read the rest of the story, and enjoy the big game!

On The Road by Jack Kerouac - Typed on a single, 120 foot scroll of paper