In Samuel Johnson's last great work, "The Lives of the Poets," there is a fascinating passage about the intellect and reading habits of one of Johnson's most important literary models, 17th-century poet John Dryden.
On July 5, 1949, Sadanori Shimoyama, the president of Japanese National Railways, left his home in Tokyo on his way to his office. On the way, he instructed his driver to stop at a department store, saying he needed to shop for a wedding gift.