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
Famous Cemeteries
Pere Lachaise, Arlington, Highgate — which cemetery holds the most history and intrigue?
Famous Treasure Hunts
Oak Island, El Dorado, Forrest Fenn's hidden chest — which legendary treasure hunt captures the greatest sense of adventure?
Mythological Creatures
Dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, krakens — which mythological creature is the most legendary?
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 Inventors
Edison, Tesla, Bell, the Wright Brothers — who changed everyday life more with a single invention?
Famous Military Vehicles
Sherman Tank, Spitfire, B-52 Stratofortress — which military machine is the most legendary weapon of war?
World Religions Compared
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism — which world religion has shaped humanity the most?
Famous Curses
King Tut's Curse, the Hope Diamond, the Curse of the Bambino, the 27 Club — which legendary curse sends the biggest chill down your spine, and which jinx has done more to shape how humanity makes sense of coincidence, tragedy, and the terrifying possibility that some things cannot be explained?
Greatest Book Libraries
Library of Congress, Bodleian, Alexandria, the New York Public — which library is the greatest temple of knowledge?
Famous Courtroom Trials
Nuremberg, OJ Simpson, Scopes Monkey Trial, Mandela's Rivonia — which courtroom drama changed the world the most, and which trial would you most want to have witnessed?
Ancient Civilizations Ranked
Roman, Egyptian, Greek, Mayan, Chinese — which ancient civilization left the greatest legacy?
Famous Sieges
Troy, Masada, Stalingrad, Constantinople, Leningrad — which siege tested human endurance to its absolute limit, and whose outcome changed the course of civilization more dramatically than any open battlefield ever could?