Born on July 4
The Day Alice Was First Told
A boat, a picnic, a rabbit hole.
Next: July 4, 2027
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of a summer boat trip. On 4 July 1862 Charles Dodgson, a mathematician at Christ Church, Oxford, rowed up the river from Folly Bridge to Godstow with his friend Robinson Duckworth and the three young daughters of the Dean, Lorina, Alice and Edith Liddell.
How it's celebrated
In Oxford the first Saturday in July is known as Alice's Day, in memory of that afternoon. Anywhere else, it is a lovely day to read the book aloud to a child, pack a picnic for the riverbank, or hold a slightly mad tea party of your own.
Did you know
Dodgson's diary for that day records only 'an expedition up the river to Godstow'; the note about telling the story was added later on the facing page.
Read the full story of The Day Alice Was First Told
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