Miguel de Cervantes was born in 1547.

Don Miguel de Cervantes is the most famous figure in Spanish literature. Educated in Madrid, Cervantes worked for a time in Rome before enlisting in the Spanish military to fight against the Turkish army in the mid-1500s. Following an injury that permanently damaged his left hand, Cervantes was captured by pirates and held as a slave for five years until his family could pay a ransom for his return. Cervantes' most famous and influential work, Don Quixote de la Mancha, was written as a satire on chivalric romance, and depicts a muddled and penniless Spanish noble who sets out to revive the glory of knighthood despite the fact that none around him share his vision. Indeed, the novel made the point that chivalry and knightly romance were a thing of the past so well that the non-satirical writing style all but ceased following the release and popular embrace of this work.

ARTSEDGE
Teachers and students can learn about Cervantes, the Spain of his times and his most famous work on the mini-site Exploring Don Quixote (K–12). The site contains sets of lessons to help students explore Cervantes' work, including the drama and music of Man of La Mancha (5–8); The Enduring Quest (10–12), a study of Don Quixote; and Discovering Opera through Rigoletto (5–8), a study of Verdi's Rigoletto.

Illuminations
Birthdays and the Binary System (6–8) uses birthdays to help students learn about patterns and place value in the binary system. Students are drawn into the mathematics by the "magical" ability to guess an unknown number and by the use of birthdays.