That same day, at a printing shop in Brooklyn NY, 36-year old American poet Walt Whitman reached a milestone of his own. After 10 years of drafting and re-drafting, Whitman finally self-published an initial 200 copies of Leaves of Grass, then a collection of 12 of his untitled poems.
In the pocket-sized first edition, Whitman's poetry overtly praised the beauty of the American landscape and the individual's relationship to it. At a time when such candid, naturalist language was considered immoral, the first edition didn't sell too well and the scandalised critics were extremely harsh. But Whitman was not deterred; in fact, he spent the next 30 years editing his poems and publishing revised editions of the anthology.
In 1891, Whitman released a hefty 'deathbed' edition of Leaves of Grass that now contains more than 400 poems and represents a lifetime of his work.
Despite a slow start to his career, Whitman is now widely considered to be "America's poet", whose free verse helps people understand what it means to be American.
Whitman was also influential in establishing Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, and was committed to preserving the area's architectural heritage. All admirable legacies, to be sure.
But did you also know that Bram Stoker believed Walt Whitman to be the "father, brother and wife" of his soul, and so admired his friend that he modelled his character of Dracula on him? Now that's quite a legacy.
