Introductory note on Lord Byron (Wikipedia)

England's romantic poet died while fighting against the Turks on the side of the Greeks. His poems, "The Isles of Greece" and "The Prisoner of Chillon," proclaim freedom. (Volume 41, Harvard Classics)

At Missolonghi, Greece, 37 guns honor Byron, April 20, 1824.

Introductory note on Ralph Waldo Emerson (Volume 5, Harvard Classics)

Dr. Eliot says of the opening stanza of the "Concord Hymn": "In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all the essential circumstances... what an accurate, moving, immortal description is this!" (Volume 42, Harvard Classics)

Battle of Concord fought April 19, 1775.

Introductory note on Miguel de Cervantes (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)

Reading too many romances of knights and valorous deeds caused a poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather's armor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. "Don Quixote," besides holding a secure niche in literature as the work that quashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the same time one of the most widely-read stories in the world. (Volume 14, Harvard Classics)

Cervantes receives the last sacraments April 18, 1616.

Introductory note on Benjamin Franklin (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)

In 1731 there were not many books in America. Franklin saw the need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public library which to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Franklin. (Volume 1, Harvard Classics)

Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790.

Introductory note on Dante Alighieri (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)

The city of Dis, within the gates of Hell, was guarded by monsters and surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante, protected by Virgil, entered the forbidden city, and viewed sights never before seen by living man. (Volume 20, Harvard Classics)

Dante urges attack on the city of Florence, April 16, 1311.