Aasen, Ivar. 1813-96. Developed New Norwegian language, officially adopted, 1907.

Aho, Juhani. 1861-1921. Finnish novelist.

Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd. 1916. World’s first airline, Britain.

Alarcón, Pedro de. 1833-91. Spanish novelist: El sombrero de tres picos, 1874.

Alcott, Louisa May. 1832-88. US novelist: Little Women 1869.

Alphabet. 1500BC. Semitic invention developed through mnemonic, pictorial, ideographic, and phonetic stages.

Amis, Kingsley. 1922-95. English novelist and poet. Angry Young Men. Lucky Jim 1954.

Austen, Jane. 1775-1817. English novelist: Sense and Sensibility, 1811, Pride and Prejudice, 1813. “the exquisite touch which renders the commonplace interesting”-W. Scott. Emma 1816.

Bach, C.P.E. 1714-88. 3d son of JS. Developed sonata and symphonic forms. Influential Essay on Keyboard 1774.

Baekeland, Leo. 1863-1944. US: invented Bakelite 1909 (first plastic). Velox.

Balzac, Honoré de. 1799-1850. French novelist of social injustice: Comedie Humaine 1829-48.

Bardeen, John. 1908-91. US developer of transistor 1948 with Shockley. . BCS superconductivity 1957.

Baroja y Nessi, Pio. 1872-1956. Basque novelist. Terse style influenced Hemingway. Somber Lives 1900. Generation of ’98.

Beckett, Samuel. 1906-89. English/Irish novelist, dramatist expressing man’s suffering: Waiting for Godot 1952. Endgame.

Beethoven, Ludwig van. 1770-1827. German composer expressing emotions in music. Tone poet. Developed form and structure. “The Shakespeare of music”. 9 Symphonies. Eroica 1804. 5th 1807. 9th 1824.

Bellamy, Edward. 1850-98. US Utopian novelist. Looking Backward 2000-1887, 1888.

Bellow, Saul. 1915-2005. Canadian/US psychological novelist: Herzog 1964. Humboldt’s Gift 1975.

Bennett, Arnold. 1867-1931. English Staffordshire novelist. Meticulously detailed Naturalist. Clayhanger Series 1910.

Big Stick Policy. Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Power as a deterrent. Mahan.

Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne. 1832-1910. Norwegian poet, novelist: Kongen 1877, National anthem.

Blackmore, Richard. 1825-1900. English novelist: Lorna Doone 1869.

Blanchard, Jean. 1753-1809. French balloonist. First aerial Channel crossing 1785. Velocipede 1779.

Blest Gana. 1830-1920. Chilean novelist. Arithmetic of Love 1862.

Blurb, Miss. 1907. Photo appeared on novel jackets.

Boccaccio, Giovanni. 1313-75. Italian “father” of vernacular novel. Decameron 1348-53.

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