- PERSON OF THE DAY. 21 January 1950. George Orwell (Eric Blair) died of TB (aged 46), His best known works were Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Road to Wigan Pier and Homage to Catalonia. In 2008, The Times ranked him 2nd in “The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945” (behind Larkin).Jan 21, 2026 09:27