On this day...

National Pig Day is celebrated, albeit on a small scale, in the U.S. The holiday first started in 1972, and lists it purpose as being, 'to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognised, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals'. Events take place right across the country, including a parade, pig crafts, and, of course, the consumption of BLTs, chops and sausages. Pigs have, though maybe not as many as they deserve, several fictional representatives.

Perhaps the most famous, or at least most commercial, is Dick King-Smith's Babe, the protagonist of short story 'The Sheep-Pig'. Yet surely the most important is Napolean of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. Based on Stalin whilst named after Bonaparte, Napolean's role within the communist allegory, that of 'President of Animal Farm' - a corrupted dictator who exploits the other animals. On a less serious note, Piglet, is one of the most cherished children's characters, having featured in A.A. Milne's 'Winnie the Pooh'. Based on one of his son's stuffed toys, Piglet is generally timid, yet often conquers his fears. Pigs also feature in works by, Beatrix Potter, Terry Pratchett, and P.G. Wodehouse.

On this day...

English writer Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, died in 1975, at the age of 93. Better known as 'Plum' to his family and P.G. Wodehouse to his readers, he barely saw his parents in his first few months of life, a trend that was perpetuated by numerous boardings schools throughout his adolescence. Wodehouse was marked down for Oxford, yet the failing of the Indian rupee, the currency of his father's pension, meant that this was not feasible.

Instead, Wodehouse found himself a prolific contributor to a variety of magazines, including 'Punch', 'Vanity Fair', and the 'Daily Express'. During the World War Two, Wodehouse took up residence in France, and, doubting the seriousness of the conflict, found himself a prisoner of war. Thus followed a controversy with the Germans, which ended up in the author being roundly criticised by fellow writer A.A. Milne and even MI5. Influencing the likes of Evelyn Waugh, Rudyard Kipling and Salman Rushdie, Wodehouse's most famous works from his 96 books, include the 'Blandings Castle' and 'Drones Club' series.