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Born in Cambridge in 1952, Douglas Adams was best known for creating The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a wildly successful project that began in 1978 as a science-fiction comedy radio series and eventually evolved to become something much larger, in many formats and in many languages, adored by many millions of people around the world.
over a year ago

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More from Letters of Note

My heart almost stood still

The following letter was written exactly 100 years ago. It’s a remarkable piece of writing that never fails to move me. And because you deserve it, above the transcript I’ve included audio of the letter being read by the lovely Juliet Stevenson, taken from the Letters of Note: Music audiobook. Born in Alabama in 1880, Helen Keller

a year ago 113 votes
Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you

On this day in 1876, shortly after making history, Alexander Graham Bell wrote the following letter to his father. To read his diary entry from that same day, visit Diaries of Note. And don’t forget to sign up for the Letters of Note newsletter. Born in Scotland in 1847, Alexander Graham Bell hailed from a

over a year ago 63 votes
Diaries of Note

Dear all, On 1st January of this year, after what feels like centuries of preparation, I launched Diaries of Note, and though incredibly difficult to plan, the premise is simple: every single day, on the Diaries of Note website, I am featuring a single diary entry from history, published on the same day and month

over a year ago 112 votes
I would like to be paid like a plumber

Although they only existed for seven years and released just three albums, Nirvana were a band of immeasurable influence in the music world thanks in no small part to Smells Like Teen Spirit, a single track on Nevermind, their second album. It was this song that brought them out into the open, going on to sell millions

over a year ago 102 votes

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my body is a temple

The people who brought me up have a sweet tooth, so I was allowed to snack on unregulated amounts of chocolate, sweets, chips and carbonated drinks whenever I wanted. I used to...

5 hours ago 2 votes
The One Weird Trick That Gave Humans Language

An Extract From 'A Brief History of Intelligence' by Max Bennett

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BATWRITE AUGUST DATES ARE LIVE

"omg this is crazy" - every big newspaper

2 days ago 3 votes
Is This Anything? 11

getting mad + drinking occasionally

2 days ago 3 votes
12 Outstanding New Albums I'm Recommending Right Now

I share choice tracks from a wide range of genres and geographies

3 days ago 5 votes