Washington Irving

Washington Irving was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of Oliver Goldsmith, Muhammad, and George Washington, as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain that deal with subjects such as the Alhambra, Christopher Columbus, and the Moors. Irving served as American ambassador to Spain in the 1840s.

3 April 1783

Born on the same birth day (3 April): Alexander Macomb (general) • Andrei Lodis • Don Gibson • Gus Grissom • Harold Vick • Israel Folau

Born in the same month (April 1783): David Cox (artist) • Reginald Heber