On October 3, 1919, James M. Buchanan was born. Buchanan would go on to an illustrious career in economics, developing the theory of “Public Choice,” and receiving the 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work. His books include “Cost and Choice,” “The Calculus of Consent” (with Gordon Tullock), and “The Limits of Liberty: Between Anarchy and Leviathan.”
In 1925, on this date, Gore Vidal was born. Vidal would go on to become one of the leading post-WWII liberal essayists as well as a major novelist and screenwriter. His most famous novels include “Burr,” “1876,” and “Lincoln,” part of his American history series; his collection of essays, “The United States,” was one of his many bestsellers.