Calendar of Literary Facts

1802

In England, Thomas Bowdler forms the Society for the Supression of Vice and commences to remove words he finds offensive from English literature, thus bringing into being the verb “bowdlerize”
Napoleon Bonaparte censors French publications, plays, newspapers, and even personal correspondence
Francis Jeffrey, Francis Horner, and Sidney Smith found The Edinburgh Review, a liberal magazine published by Archibald Constable
John Dalton integrates atomic theory into chemistry
New British child-labor laws restrict the working hours of children to a maximum of 12 hours
An uprising of black slaves in Santo Domingo is suppressed by French troops
Alexandre Dumas pére is born (July 24)
Victor Hugo is born (February 26)