World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on April 23rd. The connection between
23rd April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honour Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day.
In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would
be celebrated on this date because of the Catalonian festival and
because the date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare and the death of Miguel de Cervantes.
In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, World Book Day
is held annually on the first Thursday in March. It was decided to avoid the established international
23rd April date due to clashes with Easter school holidays, as well as
the fact that it is also the National Saint's Day of England, St
George's Day.
