Alexandre Dumas, the renowned French novelist and playwright, died on this day in 1870. Born in 1802, Dumas was of Afro-Caribbean descent—his grandmother was an enslaved woman from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), and his father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, was a general in Revolutionary France.

Dumas authored numerous literary classics, including:

• The Three Musketeers (1844)

• The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–1846)

• The Man in the Iron Mask (1847)

Despite facing racial prejudice, Dumas became one of the most widely read French authors in the world. His works have been translated into many languages and adapted into countless films, series, and plays.

His legacy stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the often-overlooked contributions of people of African descent to European literary history.