About
Noah Webster, born October 16, 1758, in West Hartford, Connecticut, was an American lexicographer. A Yale graduate (1778), he published the famous 'Blue-Backed Speller' (1783-1785), which sold millions of copies. His 1806 dictionary and especially his 'American Dictionary of the English Language' (1828) standardized American spelling and included uniquely American words. Webster learned some twenty languages for etymologies. He helped establish the Copyright Act of 1831 and died in 1843.
* 1758-10-16 — † 1843-05-28
Major works
- A Grammatical Institute of the English Language (1783-1785)textbook
- A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language (1806)dictionary
- An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828)dictionary
- The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, in the Common Version, with Amendments of the Language (1833)Bible edition
Key milestones
- 1778Graduated from Yale College.
- 1828Published his American Dictionary of the English Language.
- 1831Helped establish the Copyright Act of 1831.
Themes
Spelling reformAmerican linguistic nationalismEducationEtymologyCopyright
Sources: britannica.com · library.tc.columbia.edu · merriam-webster.com