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Today’s Birthdays
1951 Joey Ramone
1949 Archie Manning
1946 Andre the Giant
1945 Pete Townshend
1941 Nora Ephron
1934 Jim Lehrer
1925 Malcolm X
1897 Frank Capra
1892 Ho Chi-Minh
Today in History
1897 Oscar Wilde is released from jail
On this day in 1897, writer Oscar Wilde is released from jail after two years of hard labor. His experiences in prison were the basis for his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol(1898).
In 1891, the Marquess of Queensbury denounced Wilde as a homosexual. Wilde, who was involved with the marquess’ son, sued the Marquess for libel but lost the case when evidence supported the marquess’ allegations. Because homosexuality was still considered a crime in England, Wilde was arrested. Although his first trial resulted in a hung jury, a second jury sentenced him to two years of hard labor. After his release, Wilde fled to Paris and began writing again. He died of acute meningitis just three years after his release.
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