Diary/Journal↕ | Author↕ | Period↕ | Subject Matter↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 1942-1944 | Holocaust hiding, adolescence | Most famous diary ever, hiding from Nazis in the annex, translated into 70+ languages |
Pepys' Diary | Samuel Pepys | 1660-1669 | London life, Great Fire, plague | Eyewitness to Great Fire of London, coded personal entries, Restoration England |
The Diary of Frida Kahlo | Frida Kahlo | 1944-1954 | Art, pain, love, identity | Intimate paintings and writings, raw emotional honesty, beautiful illustrated journal |
The Pillow Book | Sei Shōnagon | 990s-1002 | Japanese court life, lists, observations | Heian period Japan, witty lists and observations, literary masterpiece, 1000 years old |
Journals of Lewis and Clark | Lewis & Clark | 1804-1806 | Expedition across America | Mapped the American West, documented Native American cultures, scientific observations |
The Diary of Che Guevara | Che Guevara | 1956-1967 | Revolution, guerrilla warfare | Motorcycle Diaries (earlier travels), Bolivian campaign journal, revolutionary icon |
Meditations | Marcus Aurelius | 170-180 AD | Stoic philosophy, self-reflection | Roman emperor's private journal, Stoicism bible, never meant for publication, timeless wisdom |
The Diary of Virginia Woolf | Virginia Woolf | 1915-1941 | Writing process, mental health, modernism | Raw insight into creative genius, Bloomsbury Group, modern literature backdrop |
Captain Scott's Last Expedition | Robert Falcon Scott | 1910-1912 | Antarctic exploration, death | Race to South Pole (lost to Amundsen), final entries as he froze, 'Great God, this is an awful place' |
The Diary of Anaïs Nin | Anaïs Nin | 1931-1974 | Sexuality, literature, psychoanalysis | Radical openness about female sexuality, 35,000+ pages, literary Paris |
A Journal of the Plague Year | Daniel Defoe | 1722 (set in 1665) | London's Great Plague | Fictional but historically accurate, COVID-era resurgence, plague diary genre |
The Freedom Writers Diary | Freedom Writers (students) | 1994-1998 | Inner-city youth, education, hope | Real students in Long Beach, Hilary Swank movie, diary as empowerment tool |
Darwin's Notebooks | Charles Darwin | 1836-1882 | Evolution, natural history | 'I think' tree of life sketch, development of evolution theory, stolen and returned 2022 |
The Diary of Lady Murasaki | Murasaki Shikibu | 1008-1010 | Japanese court life, writing | Author of world's first novel (Tale of Genji), Heian court insider |
Zlata's Diary | Zlata Filipović | 1991-1993 | Siege of Sarajevo, childhood in war | 'Bosnian Anne Frank', child's perspective on war, powerful and devastating |
Free to explore · No signup needed
Frequently asked questions
How is the Famous Diaries And Journals list ranked?
The Famous Diaries and Journals list is currently sorted by the source data's default ordering. Community voting is not enabled on this dataset.
How many entries are in this Famous Diaries And Journals dataset?
This dataset contains 15 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Famous Diaries And Journals data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 15-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
Related Datasets
More in History & Culture
World Religions Compared
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism — which world religion has shaped humanity the most?
Famous Military Vehicles
Sherman Tank, Spitfire, B-52 Stratofortress — which military machine is the most legendary weapon of war?
Famous Shipwrecks
Titanic, Lusitania, Mary Rose, Bismarck — which sunken ship has the most gripping story beneath the waves?
Famous Unsolved Mysteries
D.B. Cooper, Zodiac Killer, Bermuda Triangle — which unsolved mystery is the most baffling?
Ancient Civilizations
Rome, Egypt, Greece, Maya — which ancient civilization was the greatest?
Greatest Art Museums
The Louvre, the Met, the British Museum, the Smithsonian — which temple of human achievement deserves your pilgrimage first, and which institution has done more to preserve, celebrate, and occasionally plunder the artifacts that define civilization?
Famous Last Stands in History
Thermopylae, the Alamo, Rorke's Drift — which last stand was the most heroic?
Famous Cemeteries
Pere Lachaise, Arlington, Highgate — which cemetery holds the most history and intrigue?
Famous Prisons
Alcatraz, Bastille, Robben Island, Sing Sing — which notorious prison has the most gripping history?
Famous Spy Agencies
CIA, MI6, Mossad, KGB — which intelligence agency operates with the most mystique and effectiveness?
Famous Speeches
I Have a Dream, Gettysburg Address, We Shall Fight on the Beaches — which speech most powerfully moved the world and shaped history?
Famous Archaeological Discoveries
Rosetta Stone, Terracotta Army, Pompeii — which archaeological discovery changed our understanding of history the most?