November 30, 1667

On this day in 1667, Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland. Swift made a successful career as a satirist, essayist, poet and clergyman. His most famous works include “Gulliver’s Travels,” “Drapier’s Letters,” “The Battle of the Books,” and “A Modest Proposal,” which satirical poked fun at the English approach to the Irish, claiming that impoverished Irishmen could alleviate their troubles by selling their children for food. Swift would later become Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.