French soldier and author (died 1948)

Georges Bernanos

Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defeatism. He believed this had led to France's defeat and eventual occupation by Germany in 1940 during World War II. His two best-known novels Sous le soleil de Satan (1926) and the Journal d'un curé de campagne (1936) both revolve around a parish priest who combats evil and despair in the world.

Born

1888

February 20

Died

1948

Era

1880s

Country

—

About

Georges, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1888 Born
1948 Died

Also on February 20

What else happened on this day, through history

1339 The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
1472 Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.
1521 Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León sets out from San Juan, Puerto Rico, for Florida with about 200 prospective colonists.
1547 Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

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The world in 1948

When Georges departed

april 1 Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
april 1 Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
april 13 In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
april 16 The Organization of European Economic Co-operation is formed.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on February 20

Rihanna 1988– Barbados actor Edward Albert 1951–2006 American actor (died 2006) Jimmy Greaves 1940–2021 English footballer and TV pundit (died 2021) Louis-Alexandre Berthier 1753–1815 French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (died 1815) Phil Neal 1951– English footballer and manager Shigeo Nagashima 1936–2025 Japanese baseball player and manager (died 2025) Thomas Cajetan 1469–1534 Italian cardinal and philosopher (born 1470) William Cornwallis 1744–1819 English admiral and politician (died 1819)

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1888

Barry Fitzgerald 1888–1961 Irish actor (born 1888) Chesley Bonestell 1888–1986 American painter, designer, and illustrator (died 1986) Grey Owl 1888–1938 English-Canadian environmentalist and author (born 1888) Harpo Marx 1888–1964 American comedian and musician (died 1964) J. B. Kripalani 1888–1982 Indian lawyer and politician (born 1888) J. Frank Dobie 1888– American journalist and author (died 1964) Josef Albers 1888–1976 German-American painter and educator (died 1976) Lotte Lehmann 1888–1976 German-American soprano (born 1888) Miles Malleson 1888–1969 English actor and screenwriter (born 1888)

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More to explore

Georges's birthday February 20 Georges's zodiac Pisces When Georges departed 1948