When is Henry David Thoreau's birthday?

Henry David Thoreau's birthday is July 12. He was born on July 12, 1817 in Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse, United States.

How old was Henry David Thoreau when he died?

Henry David Thoreau died on May 6, 1862, aged 44.

Who shares a birthday with Henry David Thoreau?

Famous people who share Henry David Thoreau's July 12 birthday include Malala Yousafzai, Pablo Neruda, Amedeo Modigliani, Buckminster Fuller and James Rodríguez.

Literature · Philosophy · Science · 1817–1862

Henry David Thoreau — Age, Birthday & Biography

Born: 12 July 1817 · Died: 6 May 1862 · Age: 44

American writer who lived in a cabin by Walden Pond and wrote Walden and the essay Civil Disobedience

Did you know?He was arrested and jailed for one night after refusing to pay a poll tax in protest against slavery.

Quick facts

Date of birth12 July 1817
Date of death6 May 1862
Age at death44
Cause of deathTuberculosis
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceWheeler-Minot Farmhouse, United States
Occupationpoet, philosopher, essayist

Editor's Take:

Thoreau showed that choosing a simple life could be a radical act. For two years he lived in a small cabin he built by Walden Pond, recording nature and his own thoughts. The resulting book became a founding text of environmental writing. His essay on civil disobedience argued that people must refuse to support unjust laws. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. both drew on those ideas.

Key Milestones

1845: Walden Pond – moves to cabin
1846: Jail – refuses poll tax
1849: Civil Disobedience – essay
1854: Walden – published

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”

— Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

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Henry David Thoreau: The Sage of Walden

American writer and naturalist, 1817–1862

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on 12 July 1817.

He was a friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

He lived at Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847.

He wrote Walden and Civil Disobedience.

Career highlights

1845Walden Pond: moves to cabin
1846Jail: refuses poll tax
1849Civil Disobedience: essay
1854Walden: published
1862Death: in Concord

Did you know?He also worked in his family's pencil-making business and improved its manufacturing process.

Age at death: 44
Years since death: 164

Family

Father: John Thoreau
Mother: Cynthia Dunbar

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Frequently asked questions

When is Henry David Thoreau's birthday?: Henry David Thoreau's birthday is July 12. He was born on July 12, 1817 in Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse, United States.
How old was Henry David Thoreau when he died?: Henry David Thoreau died on May 6, 1862, aged 44.
Who shares a birthday with Henry David Thoreau?: Famous people who share Henry David Thoreau's July 12 birthday include Malala Yousafzai, Pablo Neruda, Amedeo Modigliani, Buckminster Fuller and James Rodríguez.

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