Dictionary Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Noah and the Bible

The 16th of October commemorates the birth of American author Noah Webster, who was born in 1758. In 1806, Noah Webster published the first dictionary, which he continued to compile and expand for the next 27 years. When his dictionary was published in 1828, it was a formidable resource brimming with new words and updated spellings. Webster was a genuine pioneer in creating the dictionary that is so widely used, so we are honouring him today.

The background of Dictionary Day

Noah Webster, who would one day become the founder of the modern dictionary, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 16, 1758. His father, a farmer and craftsman, and his mother, a homemaker, led a very typical middle-class colonial family. When Noah was 16 years old, he left for Yale, the first institution in Connecticut. Since law was too expensive, Noah decided to pursue a career in education.

He first felt compelled to reform the expanding American academic system and language while instructing. His first work was published in 1783 and covered the English language’s grammar. As a result of its blue cover, it became known as the “Blue-Backed Speller.” This little blue book was the most popular book in the United States at the time.

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Noah felt that improving English instruction and the educational system was insufficient. After marrying Rebecca Greenleaf in 1789, he set out in 1801 to define numerous terms that distinguished American English from the English dialect. He also relocated to Amherst, Massachusetts for the purpose of establishing Amherst College, and subsequently returned to New Haven.

Numerous individuals are conversant with the spelling differences between British and American English words, such as ‘colour.’ In his first edition of the American English dictionary, published in 1806, Webster took the effort to correct English spellings to American English ones. Webster changed the spelling of’musick’ to’music.’ He was unsatisfied despite the fact that this best-selling dictionary defined no less than 37,000 words. The following 22 years of his life would be spent revising and adding new terms. In 1828, at the age of 70, Webster finally published his new dictionary. The book contains over 65,000 definitions.

G & C Merriam, Co. acquired the rights to Webster’s “An American Dictionary of the English Language” after his death in 1843 as an American hero who pioneered the dictionary and supported both the eradication of slavery and universal education. Webster died in 1843 as an advocate for the abolition of slavery and universal education. The company’s founders, George and Charles Merriam, proceeded to refine Webster’s dictionary, resulting in the current Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Five Interesting Facts About Noah and the Bible

Noah Webster learned 26 new languages in order to compose his first dictionary, a uniquely American work.

After the Merriam brothers revised Webster’s work in the middle of the nineteenth century, they sold each dictionary for $6.

Noah Webster is credited with founding the first daily newspaper in New York City, “American Minerva,” which later became “Commercial Advertiser.”

Webster was very involved in the significant social issues of his time, from being one of the earliest opponents of slavery (and secretary of the Hartford Anti-Slavery Society) to scrutinising evidence and debating the existence of global warming.

The renowned poet T.S. Eliot was the great-nephew of Noah Webster, suggesting that a command of the English language and literature flowed in the family.

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