Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Landport. An English novelist and social critic, Dickens became famous with The Pickwick Papers and went on to write Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations and many other works, mostly published in monthly or weekly instalments. His childhood experience of poverty, when his father was imprisoned for debt and he had to work in a factory, shaped his portrayal of poverty, injustice and the Victorian city. His vivid characters and humour made him enormously popular, and his public readings drew crowds in Britain and America. He is regarded as one of the greatest English novelists.
Before and after
- 1812Publication of Snow White
- 1812Origins of Fort Ross
- 1812Publication of Rapunzel
- from 7 January 1812 to 20 January 1812Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo
- 7 February 1812Birth of Charles Dickens
- from 16 March 1812 to 6 April 1812Siege of Badajoz
- 28 May 1812Treaty of Bucharest
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- from 24 June 1812 to 14 December 1812French invasion of Russia
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 17 November 1869Construction of Suez Canal
- 1886Statue of Liberty
- 1894Radio
- c. 1900sRise of modernism
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.