Diaries and journals have been some of the most beloved ways for people to record their personal thoughts, feelings and memories for centuries now. From childhood passions to adult introspection, these give great ways to express yourself on paper, and clearly plenty of historical figures have felt the same way. Here are a few snippets we have of diaries kept by some pretty famous names.
Mark Twain's journal of names for his characters
As well as the note he left on his door after someone robbed his house
The diary of Anne Frank, a little girl trying to hide from the Nazis
Singer-songwriter Nick Cave's own personal writing dictionary
The rest of these diary entries come from some real heavy-hitters...
President Theodore Roosevelt's entry the day that both his wife Alice and his mother died
Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, celebrates the birth of his boy Alexei
Beethoven had friends give him talking points he could use on people as he was losing his hearing
Martin Luther King Jr. pens letters fighting for civil rights
Oscar Wilde filling out a guided journal page about himself
The diary of King Edward VI, son of the infamous Henry VIII
The shared diary between novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia
