Daniel Defoe
The Storm. An Essay.
"The Storm. An Essay." by Daniel Defoe is a work of journalism published in 1704. It documents the devastating Great Storm of 1703 that ravaged London and Britain through innovative first-hand accounts collected via newspaper advertisements. Defoe weaves together sixty personal testimonies of toppled forests, demolished homes, stranded sailors, and naval destruction. This pioneering approach to reporting, gathering eyewitness stories from survivors who signed their names, established it as the first substantial work of modern journalism.