December 2, 1867: Charles Dickens begins reading tour of the United States. It was his second visit to America, where he was scheduled to give 76 readings in a 5-month period. He was ill most of the time, barely able to eat solid food and mostly existing on champagne and eggs beaten with sherry. He departed for England on April 23, 1868, one step ahead of a tax lien against his earnings.
