Posted on June 16, 2022 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

While June 16, 1818, has long been held as the day that Mary Shelley sat down (or, rather, sat up) to write Frankenstein, there isn't a primary source that specifically notes that date.

But, Literary Hub says, Shelley's recounting of the incident includes some useful details that allow us to confirm the date and pinpoint the approximate time, even.

Apparently, around a decade ago, astronomers at Texas State University used astronomical tables and topographic measurements — and a visit to Lake Geneva, Switzerland — to determine this fact.

So let it be known that between 2 and 3 a.m. local time June 16, 1818, Shelley opened her eyes "in terror" at the vision of a "horrid thing" with "yellow, watery, but speculative eyes."

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