Posted on October 16, 2018 at 1:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Today is also perhaps the nerdiest of all holidays: National Dictionary Day.

It marks the birth of Noah Webster — author of the first American English dictionary (or, as he called it, a “federal English dictionary”) — in 1758.

Celebrate it in true geeky fashion with a list of ten things you maybe didn’t know about Webster, such as his attempts at spelling reform. (“Favor,” “color,” “realize,” and “theater” were hits; “fether,” “tung,” and “thum” were misses.)

Also worth checking out is Merriam-Webster’s which-word-came-first? game. (Booksellers George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to publish revised editions of Webster’s dictionary after his death, FYI.)

Categories: Today in Books

Comments
There are no comments yet.
Add Comment

* Indicates a required field