Happy 309th birthday, Samuel Johnson!

Happy 309th birthday to writer Samuel Johnson!

Although he was also a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, and editor, Johnson is best known for his Dictionary of the English Language.

Johnson and six helpers spent over eight years compiling this famous (but not first of its kind) reference guide.

The work was both ground-breaking and distinctively Johnson’s — you’ll find jokes, insults, and political commentary among his examples and definitions.

You can check out the basics of his dictionary on the British Library’s website, or pick up some more amusing anecdotes about it on Interesting Literature and Mental Floss.