After nearly 40 years of riding across millions of American TV and movie screens, the cowboy actor William Boyd, best known for his role as Hopalong Cassidy, dies on September 12, 1972 at the age of 77. Ride off into the sunset with Hopalong at the library.

On this day in 1846, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browing. While trying his hand at drama, Robert Browning discovered a dramatic monologue, which he adapted to his own poetry in Dramatic Lyrics (1842). While most critics rejected the work, Elizabeth Barrett defended it. Browning wrote to thank her for her praise and asked to meet her. She hesitated at first but finally relented, and the couple quickly fell in love. Barrett’s strict father disliked Browning, whom he viewed as an unreliable fortune hunter, so most of the courtship was conducted in secret. On September 12, 1846, while her family was away, Barrett sneaked out of the house and met Browning at St. Marylebone Parish Church, where they were married. She returned home for a week, keeping the marriage a secret, then fled with Browning to Italy. She never saw her father again. Find Robert and Elizabeth Browning at the library

Valerie Tripp, children’s book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series, was born in Mount Kisco, NY on September 12, 1951. Tripp wrote all the books in the Felicity, Josefina, Kit, and Molly series, and three of the books in the Samantha series. She has also written four of the five “Best Friends” character stories to date. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories to varying extents.Find Felicity, Josefina, Kit, and Molly at the library.