It was just 194 years ago today, April 14, 1828, when Noah Webster registered the copyright of his American dictionary. Webster was a lexicographer, that is, a person who studies lexicons or languages. However, it is not the first English dictionary, nor the only one in circulation to date; however, I’m going to bet on the idea that many of you have heard of Webster’s dictionary.

Noah Webster. Image courtesy of Wikicommons, public domain.

Unfortunately, old Noah did not do well in life and died in debt, with very few copies of his first edition sold. But what about that name before Webster’s, Merriam? Well, it might be the most American success story one dreams of. George and Charles Merriam, brothers who grew up in a small farming family, opened their own publishing house. After Noah died, they bought all the rights to his dictionary and just added their name to it, and so Merriam – Webster’s Dictionary became an American household name, and it all started with the registered copyright of Webster , 194 years ago, today. .

What happened yesterday, April 13?