J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and university professor and is best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945, and of English language and literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959. He was a strongly committed Roman Catholic. Tolkien was a close friend of C. S. Lewis, with whom he shared membership in the literary discussion group the Inklings. In addition to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's published fiction includes The Silmarillion and other posthumously published books about what he called a legendarium, a connected body of tales, fictional histories, invented languages, and other literary essays about an imagined world called Arda, and Middle-earth. Most of these works were compiled from Tolkien's notes by his son Christopher Tolkien. The enduring popularity and influence of Tolkien's works have established him as the "father of modern fantasy literature". Tolkien's other published fiction includes stories not directly related to the legendarium, some of them originally told to his children.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
655: Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Winwaed)
1889: A military coup led by Deodoro da Fonseca overthrew Emperor Pedro II and declared Brazil a republic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodoro_da_Fonseca)
1920: The first general assembly of the League of Nations was held in Geneva, Switzerland. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations)
1971: Intel released the 4004, the world's first single-chip microprocessor. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004)
1988: The Palestinian National Council declared the independence of the State of Palestine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Palestine)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
He who, when called upon to speak a disagreeable truth, tells it boldly and has done is both bolder and milder than he who nibbles in a low voice and never ceases nibbling. -- Johann Kaspar Lavater (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Kaspar_Lavater)