The Three Little Pigs is a European fairy tale about three pigs who build houses of straw, sticks and bricks, and a wolf who blows down the first two but fails to destroy the third. The wolf's famous threat to huff and puff and blow the house down is the best-remembered line of the story. Its origins are uncertain, as it was passed on orally before being written down, and the first known printed English versions appeared in the nineteenth century, later refined by the folklorist Joseph Jacobs. It carries a simple lesson in hard work and foresight. The story was made into a popular Disney cartoon in 1933 that gave the world the song Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, and it remains a staple of children's literature.
Before and after
- 27 November 1852Death of Ada Lovelace
- from 2 December 1852 to 4 September 1870Second French Empire
- 15 December 1852Birth of Antoine Henri Becquerel
- 19 December 1852Birth of Albert Abraham Michelson
- 19th centuryPublication of The Three Little Pigs
- 1853Gadsden Purchase
- 28 January 1853Birth of José Martí
- 30 March 1853Birth of Vincent van Gogh
- 5 July 1853Birth of Cecil John Rhodes
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1792Publication of La Marseillaise
- 7 May 1824Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premieres
- 26 November 1865Publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- 1871The Internationale
- from 1886 to 1905Rise of Post-impressionism
- 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.
