Happy Frankenstein Day! During a vacation in 1816 attended by figures such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and soon-to-be famous Mary Shelley (Percy’s wife), the group had to spend most of their time inside due to terrible weather. They spent some of that time reading ghost stories — which led to a challenge from Lord Byron to all of the attendees to write a ghost story better than the ones they had just read.

Inspired by the setting and conversations of the company around her, Mary Shelley was struck with the idea for her story in the middle of the night, which would ultimately turn into her debut novel. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was published in 1818 and revolutionized literature and the horror genre. Of all the people there and the stories they produced, one could certainly argue that Mary won the hell out of that challenge.