Birth of Denis Diderot

Denis Diderot was born on 5 October 1713 in Langres. A French philosopher and writer, Diderot was one of the leading figures of the Enlightenment, best known as the chief editor of the Encyclopedie, the monumental work of 28 volumes that he produced with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. The project, which sought to gather and spread human knowledge in a spirit of reason, was banned at times by the authorities and gave Diderot a prison term for earlier writings. He also wrote novels such as Jacques the Fatalist, plays, art criticism and philosophical essays. Short of money, he sold his library to Catherine the Great of Russia, who let him keep it for life.

Open on the timeline