American novelist and short story writer (died 1932)

Charles W. Chesnutt

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an African-American author, essayist, political activist, and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South. Two of his books were adapted as silent films in 1926 and 1927 by the African-American director and producer Oscar Micheaux. Following the Civil Rights Movement during the 20th century, interest in the works of Chesnutt was revived. Several of his books were published in new editions, and he received formal recognition.

Born

1858

June 20

Died

Living

Era

1850s

Country

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About

Charles, in brief

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1858 Born

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What else happened on this day, through history

451 Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
1180 First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.
1295 The Treaty of Anagni, an attempt mediated by the papacy to end the War of the Sicilian Vespers, is signed by the crown of Aragon, the kingdom of France and kingdom of Naples.
1622 The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years' War.

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Same-day contemporaries

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Alexander Winton 1860– Scottish-American race car driver and engineer (died 1932) Billy Werber 1908–2009 American baseball player (born 1908) Danny Aiello 1933–2019 American actor (born 1933) James Tolkan 1931–2026 American actor and director (died 2026) Joan Kirner 1938–2015 Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (born 1938) Len Dawson 1935– American football player (died 2022) Paul Tiulana 1921–1994 Iñupiat artist and dancer (born 1921) Peter Gay 1923–2015 German-American historian, author, and academic (died 2015) Quinton Jackson 1978– American mixed martial artist and actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1858

Beatrice Webb 1858–1943 English sociologist and economist (born 1858) Cecilie Thoresen Krog 1858–1911 Norwegian women's rights pioneer (died 1911) Ellen Willmott 1858–1934 English horticulturalist (died 1934) Emmeline Pankhurst 1858–1928 English political activist and suffragist (died 1928) John L. Sullivan 1858–1918 American boxer (born 1858) Marion Talbot 1858– influential American educator (died 1948) Stewart Culin 1858– American ethnographer and author (died 1929) Take Ionescu 1858– Romanian politician, diplomat, journalist and lawyer (died 1922)

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