Dr Johnson - The Man Who Made the Dictionary

In this British history podcast we bring to life story of the extraordinary life of Samuel Johnson.  The sickly, part blind, provincial boy,  a failure at Oxford University, who went on to create the first great dictionary of the English language.

Hear the story of the troubled  and brilliant life of Dr. Samuel Johnson — the man who didn’t just write the dictionary, but helped define the English language.

Born in 1709 in Lichfield, Johnson battled illness from the start — scrofula, partial blindness, and depression. In childhood, his mind burned bright, and though his father’s business was failing, Samuel made it to Oxford, but poverty forced him to leave without a degree.

Elizabeth "Tetty" Porter

His life took an unexpected turn when he married Elizabeth “Tetty” Porter, a widow 20 years his senior, whose emotional support and small inheritance helped him launch a school — which, alas, failed. But Johnson wasn’t finished. He made his way to London.

In a draughty attic in London, he took on a task so vast it would have crushed most men: compiling A Dictionary of the English Language.

Promised in three years, it took nine. He wrote in ink-stained poverty,  weighed down by debt, grief, and a gnawing melancholy that only deepened when Tetty died in 1752. Her loss left a permanent shadow.

He pressed on. That dictionary? It became the cornerstone of English literature. And Dr. Johnson? A national treasure — gruff, brilliant, and unforgettable.

From his witty banter in London coffeehouses to the quiet loneliness of his final years, ending in 1784, Johnson’s life is a testament to endurance, intellect, and the indelible power of words.

His life was recorded by his friend and biographer Boswell, who tells the story of a man who loved cats, who took in a black house servant and made sure he had an education and a good life.

Dr Johnson,  the story of a  flawed genius. A legacy written in ink.

Listen to the our Dr Johnson Podcast here: