Trivia

Was a dedicated fan of Mark Twain and went out of his way to meet him when in America.

After his son John was killed in battle during World War I, he worked for the War Graves Commission and created the inscription "A soldier of the Great War--Known Unto God" for the graves of soldiers who could not be identified.

According to his widow, the name of the "Jungle Book" character "Mowgli" is pronounced "MAU-glee", not "MOH-glee".

Became friends with a French soldier whose life had been saved when a copy of "Kim" he was carrying stopped a bullet.

Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He was both the youngest (42) and the first English-speaking writer to win the prize.

He declined the Poet Laureateship, the Order of Merit and a knighthood.

He spoke Hindi as his first language, having been taught the tongue from the cradle by his Indian ayah.

He was the first Briton to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

He was originally a strong supporter of Britain's involvement in World War I, but his attitude changed completely after his son John, a soldier in the British army, was killed in the Battle of Loos.

In 1995 his poem "If ..". was voted England's favorite poem.

Notable poems include "If ...", "The White Man's Burden" and "Tommy Atkins".

His widow left their house, "Batemans", in Burwash, Sussex, as a gift to the nation. It is now open to the public.

Wrote two short stories, "With the Night Mail" and "As Easy As A.B.C.", which are considered two of the earliest works of contemporary science fiction.

Politically, he was very right-wing; he admired Benito Mussolini during the 1920s. However, in 1935 he called Mussolini a deranged and dangerous egomaniac.

Called his son John "Jack".

Used connections to get his son Jack a place in the army after he was rejected due to being severely short-sighted.

Children: Josephine Kipling, born December 1892; Elsie Kipling, born 1896; and John Kipling, born 1897.

Rector of St Andrews University, 1922-25.

His writings have often been denounced as supportive of imperialism and colonialism.

His writings were banned in the Soviet Union in 1939 following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

He was a cousin of British prime minister Stanley Baldwin,.

Born at 4:53pm-LMT