Hans Christian Andersen was born on 2 April 1805 in Odense. A Danish author, Andersen was born in Odense to a poor family and moved to Copenhagen as a teenager to seek a career in the theatre. He wrote novels, plays, poems and travel books, but he is remembered above all for his fairy tales, which he began to publish in 1835. They include The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Match Girl, many of them original stories with a mix of humour, sadness and moral insight. His tales have been translated into more than a hundred languages. International Children's Book Day is held on his birthday.
Before and after
- 1805Rise of Muhammad Ali dynasty
- 1805Peace of Pressburg
- from 1805 to 1806War of the Third Coalition
- 1805World population reaches 1 billion
- 2 April 1805Birth of Hans Christian Andersen
- 9 May 1805Death of Friedrich Schiller
- 22 June 1805Birth of Giuseppe Mazzini
- 29 July 1805Birth of Alexis de Tocqueville
- 4 August 1805Birth of William Rowan Hamilton
More in Art, literature & culture
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- 17 November 1869Construction of Suez Canal
- 1871The Internationale
- 31 March 1889Construction of Eiffel Tower
- 1894Radio
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 18961896 Summer Olympics
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.
