Great moments in history and popular culture happen every day, and ON THIS DAY will share a few of them with you. We’ll also point you to related resources in our collection, helping you to discover classic films, musical favorites, and historical tidbits. The primary focus will be on our e-material – e-books, e-audio, and downloadable and streamable music and film – but physical books and DVDs will also be part of the fun.

	On this day in 1843, Henry James was born. He was raised in the United States, but spent most of his adult life in Europe, and became a British citizen shortly before his death; many of his novels deal with the clash between European and American cultures. In addition to his work as a novelist, James was a respected literary critic. His early novel The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a young American woman who, after inheriting a large sum of money, makes a tour of Europe, where her wealth makes her the target of two scheming men. It's available as an e-book or e-audio from OverDrive, or in print.
	On this day in 1894, Bessie Smith was born. Smith was a popular blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, and reportedly the highest-paid African-American entertainer of her era. Smith was killed in an auto accident in 1937; for many years, the story (since discredited) was told that she died after being refused admission to a whites-only hospital. Her grave was unmarked until 1970, when Janis Joplin helped to pay for a tombstone. Several collections of Smith's music are available for streaming or download at Freegal.
	On this day in 1959, Emma Thompson was born. Thompson's performing career began as a member of a Cambridge University sketch comedy troupe, and she spent several years doing comedy show for British television before her film career began. In the 1990s, she became a major film star with such movies as Howards End (for which she won the Academy Award) and The Remains of the Day. She stars as Beatrice in Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film version of Much Ado About Nothing; it's available for streaming at Hoopla.