Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870 in Gads Hill Place, aged 58. 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
- from c. 1870s to 1900sGilded Age
- c. 1870sPublication of God Defend New Zealand
- 7 February 1870Birth of Alfred Adler
- 22 April 1870Birth of Vladimir Lenin
- 9 June 1870Death of Charles Dickens
- from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871Franco-Prussian War
- 31 August 1870Birth of Maria Montessori
- from 4 September 1870 to 10 July 1940French Third Republic
- 30 September 1870Birth of Jean-Baptiste Perrin
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1792Publication of Dream of the Red Chamber
- 18 September 1851Founding of The New York Times
- 1857Rise of Symbolism
- 1890Rise of Art Nouveau
- 28 December 1895The Lumiere brothers hold the first public film screening
- 1909Rise of Futurism
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.