Died On This Date

May 22
Washington, Martha
b. June 21, 1731 d. May 22, 1802
First of America's First Ladies. Martha Washington was born on a plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia. Typical for a girl in that day and age, her education was negligible except in domestic and social skills. She was a wealthy widow and mother of two when she married Colonel George Washington who had fought in the Indian wars and was active in Virginia politics. Martha followed George from camp to camp during the Revolutionary war weathering harsh winters and danger.

Hugo, Victor
b. February 26, 1802 d. May 22, 1885
One of the most powerful and popular authors of 19th-century France, and a champion of republicanism, exiled during the reign of Napoleon III and returned in 1870. Major works include "Notre-Dame" and "Les Miserables", and a large body of poetry. His death, and the spontaneous national mourning which followed, inspired the French government to "reinvent" the Pantheon as a homage to the great men (and, eventually, women) of France. Entered Pantheon 1885.