On this day in 1784 - Samuel Johnson, English writer and lexicographer dies

Often referred to as Dr Johnson, Samuel Johnson was a British author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. He has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history".

After nine years of work, Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755; it had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship".