Erskine Childers (The Riddle of the Sands) was born on this day in 1870
	Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm), was born on this day in 1903
	Yann Martel (Life of Pi) was born on this day in 1963
	On this day in 2009, Alice Munro was awarded the Man Booker International Prize, awarded every two years to a living author for his or her career in fiction.