October 21

Born:

1772 -Samuel T. Coleridge
English Romantic poet, best known for his works The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan.

1894 - Edogawa Rampo
Pen name of Japanese author Tarō Hirai, who helped developed Japanese mystery fiction.

1914 - Martin Gardner
American popular math and science writer, who wrote a math games column in Scientific American for many years.

1929 - Ursula K. LeGuin
American science fiction and fantasy author, multiple winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.

1940 - Frances FitzGerald
American journalist and author, best known for her book Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam.

1947 - Ai
American poet Florence Anthony, who legally changed her name to Ai Ogawa and won the 1999 National Book Award for Poetry for Vice: New and Selected Poems.

1947 - Mary Pipher
American psychologist and author.

1952 - Patti Davis
American actress and author, daughter of former President Ronald Reagan.

1956 - Carrie Fisher 
American actress and author, most well known for her roles in the Star Wars series.






Died:
1969 - Jack Kerouac
2012 - George McGovern