Observed annually every May 16th, National Biographers Day is a holiday that commemorates the biographers and the important work that they do. Biographers give all of us a special glimpse into a specific person’s life, and what they write usually ends up being pretty important historical information.

This day is observed on this day of the year because this is the day when famous poet and essayist Samuel Johnson met James Boswell—his biographer. This is a good day to celebrate that biographer and all of the biographers since then who keep the public informed about famous people, and sometimes just ordinary citizens.

The History Of National Biographers Day

We’re unsure who or when this holiday was invented, but we do know that it was invented on the anniversary of the meeting between Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell. We will continue to research the origins of this holiday, but until we do we hope everyone enjoys the rest of this holiday article.

Some Of The Greatest Biographies Of All Time

Okay, now that we’ve covered the basics of this holiday, it’s time to turn our attention to some of the biographies that we think are the best of all time. The biographies below are the ones that we think are pretty good and probably should be read by everyone.

• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
• Churchhill: A Life by Martin Gilbert.
• Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang.
• Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford.
• Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

Observing National Biographers Day

Go online to your favorite purveyor of books, or to a local library, and find a biography that you want to read. One for a poet or an author or a politician. Or the biographer for an artist.

It doesn’t matter as long as you’re personally invested in their personal story. While you’re reading this biography for National Biographers Day, don’t forget to use the hashtag #BiographersDay online to let everyone know what you’re reading.