English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. -
Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature Random Dickens trivia - the first professional baseball team was the Dolly Vardens, a Philadelphia, PA all-African-American, all-female baseball team formed in 1867 (two years before the Cincinnati Red Stockings). Their name came from a character in the Dickens's novella
Barnaby Rudge. The Dolly Vardens folded after a short time due to lack of support.
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