Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer, artist, and politician, marries mistress Christiane Vulpius at Weimar in 1806.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German writer, artist, and politician, married his lover Christiane Vulpius on October 19, 1806, after living together quasi-maritally since 1788, much to the chagrin of the women of Weimar and the annoyance of Bettine von Arnim. Christiane Vulpius was born into a low-income household. Johann Friedrich Vulpius, Weimar's official archivist. Christiane was the one lady who would transform the life of the most famous writer of his generation by becoming his wife and the mother of his children.
Related On This Day

Manipur's land was taken over by the Indian government in 1949, and Tripura joined the Indian union.

2020 A copy of William Shakespeare's First Folio sells at auction for a record $9.98 million in New York.

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1774-92), who supposedly uttered the words "let them eat cake," was executed in 1793 at the age of 37.

Mata Hari, a Dutch dancer, courtesan, and convicted German WWI spy, was killed by firing squad in 1917 at the age of 41.

Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor of India (1556-1605), was born in Umerkot, Sindh, in 1542.

The Great Dictator, a satirical social commentary film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, was released in 1940.