James Boswell

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography the English writer Samuel Johnson, Life of Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters, and private papers were recovered from the 1920s to the 1950s, and their ongoing publication by Yale University has transformed his reputation.

29 October 1740

Born on the same birth day (29 October): Ben Foster (actor) • David Remnick • Frank Sedgman • Mary Bucholtz • Necmettin Erbakan • Peter Stampfel • Travis Henry • Wilfredo Gómez

Born in the same month (October 1740): Isabelle de Charrière