Where Was Poet and Playwright William Shakespeare Born?

On April 26, 1564, William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. From the article:

"Where Was Poet and Playwright William Shakespeare Born?
Shakespeare's Birthplace
Shakespeare's Birthplace. Getty Images
They used diamond rings to scratch their names into the glass window of the birth room. The window has since been replaced, but the original glass panes are still on display.

Thousands of people every year continue to follow this tradition and visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, so the house remains one of Stratford-upon-Avon’s busiest attractions.

Indeed, the house marks the starting point of the annual parade walked by local officials, celebrities, and community groups each year as part of the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations. This symbolic walk starts in Henley Street and ends at Holy Trinity Church, his burial place. There is no specific recorded date of his death, but the date of the burial indicates he died April 23. Yes, Shakespeare was born and died on the same day of the year!

Participants of the parade pin a sprig of the herb rosemary to their outfits to commemorate his life. This is a reference to Ophelia's line in Hamlet: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance."

Preserving the Birthplace as a National Memorial
When the birthplace’s last private occupant died, money was raised by committee to buy the house at auction and preserve it as a national memorial. The campaign gained momentum when a rumor spread that P. T. Barnum, the American circus owner wanted to buy the house and ship it to New York!

The money was raised successfully and the house is in the hands of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The trust subsequently bought other Shakespeare-related properties in and around Stratford-upon-Avon, including his mother's farm house, his daughter's town house and his wife's family home in nearby Shottery. They also own the land where Shakespeare's final home in the town once stood.

Today, the Shakespeare Birthplace House has been preserved and converted into a museum as part of a larger visitor center complex. It is open to the public all year."