Samuel Johnson was an influential 18th-century English writer and polymath known for his immense contributions to literature and linguistics. Born in Lichfield, he studied at Oxford before moving to London to pursue a career as a teacher and writer. He is most famous for compiling a massive dictionary of the English language in 1755, a monumental scholarly achievement. Beyond lexicography, he excelled as a poet, critic, biographer, and essayist, becoming a central figure in the English literary landscape and a celebrated intellectual celebrity during his lifetime.