April 17, 1897 - Thornton Wilder born in Madison
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - On this day, April 17, 1897, renowned author and playwright Thornton Wilder was born in Madison.
Wilder and his family lived here while his father, Amos Wilder, became the owner and editor of the Wisconsin State Journal.
Thornton would find his own way with words and become a pivotal figure in literary history of the 20th century.
To this day, he remains the only writer to receive Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and drama.
Wilder won the Pulitzer for his novels “The Bridge of San Luis Rey,” “Our Town,” and “The Skin of Our Teeth.”
He is also credited with writing the play “The Matchmaker,” which went on to become the basis for the musical “Hello Dolly!”
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