August 15: 1887: Edna Ferber was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on this date. Her first job was as a reporter for the Daily Courant of Appleton. She also wrote for the Milwaukee Journal and the Chicago Tribune. Ferber developed a flair for short story writing, drawing much of her material from her life in Wisconsin. Much of her magazine fiction centered on the family, small towns and working women. Some of her novels are "Show Boat," "Cimarron," "Giant" and "Ice Palace." Ferber died in 1968.