ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE, English poet (d. 1909); A Victorian era English poet, his poetry was highly controversial in its day, much of it containing recurring themes of sadomasochism, death-wish, Lesbianism and irreligion.

One of the great lyric poets of the English language, Swinburne spent much of his life countering charges that his poetry was overly sensuous. Although his defensive critiques were undoubtedly necessary in the Victorian era, he needn’t have bothered.

His critics were right and he was wrong. His poetry is sensuous, and all the better for it. “Fleshly” his poems may have been, but whether he himself was fish or fowl is more difficult to say. He was most certainly a masochist who loved to be flogged, and he was probably homosexual as well. All we know is that he and Gay painter Simeon Solomon used to chase each other naked through the poet Rossetti’s house, but that’s hardly conclusive. Or is it?

Bette Davis, American actress was born (d. 1989); well, you know...we listed Joan Crawford... both celebrated in the FX Series Feud: Bette and Joan, in the person of Susan Sarandon (a pox on her...Sarandon, that is).

When asked if she had any comment about the death of her life-long rival Crawford, Davis, dry as a martini, replied, “One should never speak ill of the dead. Only good. Joan Crawford is dead. Good.”

ALLEN GINSBERG, American poet died (b. 1926); Ginsberg’s contributions to western 20^th century culture are legend. But one contribution that is often considered his most significant and most controversial was his openness about homosexuality. Ginsberg was an early proponent of freedom for men who loved other men, having already in 1943 discovered within himself "mountains of homosexuality." He expressed this desire openly and graphically in his poetry. He also struck a note for marriage equality by listing Peter Orlovsky, his lifelong companion, as his spouse in his Who’s Who entry. Later Gay writers saw his frank talk about homosexuality as an opening to speak more openly and honestly about something often before only hinted at or spoken of in metaphor.

Also, in writing about sexuality in graphic detail and in his frequent use of language seen as indecent he challenged — and ultimately changed — obscenity laws. He was a staunch supporter of others whose expression challenged obscenity laws (William S. Burroughs and Lenny Bruce, for example).

The film Kill Your Darlings, starring Daniel Radcliffe is worth watching. It tells the story of Ginsberg’s admittance to Columbia University and his relationships there with Burroughs and Lucien Carr, to whom the original HOWL was dedicated.