Origins & Early Life

Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1930; adapted into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), Giant (1952; made into the 1956 film of the same name) and Ice Palace (1958), which also received a film adaptation in 1960. She helped adapt her short story "Old Man Minick", published in 1922, into a play (Minick) and it was thrice adapted to film, in 1925 as the silent film Welcome Home, in 1932 as The Expert, and in 1939 as No Place to Go. Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin–born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber, who was of German Jewish descent.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Ferbers had moved to Kalamazoo from Chicago, Illinois, in order to open a dry goods store, and her older sister Fannie had been born there three years earlier. Ferber's father was not adept at business, and the family moved often during Ferber's childhood. From Kalamazoo, they...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alban Berg — Contemporary (Born in 1885) (1885): Key figure of the Second Viennese School, blending Romanticism with twelve-tone technique.
• D. H. Lawrence — Contemporary (Born in 1885) (1885): Modernist English writer, poet, and essayist championing instinct and sexuality.
• Ezra Pound — Contemporary (Born in 1885) (1885): American modernist poet and critic, key figure in Imagism and The Cantos.
• Anastacia — Contemporary (Born in 1968) (1968): American singer-songwriter known for her powerful voice and 'sprock' fusion.
• Brian Cox (physicist) — Contemporary (Born in 1968) (1968): Renowned physicist and musician, celebrated for popular science communication.
• Carl Theodor Dreyer — Contemporary (Died in 1968) (1968): Master of emotional austerity, Dreyer shaped cinema with profound explorations of faith and fate.
• Anthony of Padua — Shared historical date (08-15 · Born) (1195): Portuguese Catholic saint and Franciscan friar, renowned for his preaching.
• Ben Affleck — Shared historical date (08-15 · Born) (1972): Esteemed American actor and filmmaker known for dramatic roles and directorial efforts.
• Akon — Shared historical date (04-16 · Born) (1973): Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, and influential figure in world music.
• Alexis de Tocqueville — Shared historical date (04-16 · Died) (1859): French philosopher known for analyzing Western democracy and social trends.
• 1885 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1885
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• 1968 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1968
• April 16 (04-16) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 16