It’s the birthday of British author Douglas Adams (1952-2001, #diedtooyoung), who wrote the satirical science fiction series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and revealed that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42, and that the most important thing to bring along while hiking the galaxy is a towel.

Adams was born in Cambridge, England, lived in east London, and ultimately—after his parents divorced and his mother remarried—went to boarding school in Brentwood, Essex, where he broke with British tradition and had a *good* experience. (Early on, the schools had thought he was “subnormal;” by the time he was at Brentwood, he was known to be “extremely bright.”) Adams loved Monty Python and wrote comedy for a performing arts society while studying English at St. John’s College, Cambridge. He said, “I wanted to be John Cleese. It took me some time to realise that the job was taken.”

Adams finished his M.A. in 1974 and actually did work for a time with one Monty Python member, Graham Chapman, on a series that never got off the ground. He wrote for Doctor Who and for the BBC from 1978-1980. At the same time, he wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide, first as a radio series that aired from 1978-1980, then as a five-book series: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979); The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, the Universe and Everything (1982); So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1985); and Mostly Harmless (1992). The series and its many adaptations became insanely popular and sold 14 million copies worldwide.

In spite of this wild success, Adams always struggled with procrastination and a massive lack of confidence, saying famously, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” His publisher and agent would supposedly lock him in a hotel room with no phone to force him to write. Somehow, more books got written, including Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1987), The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990, with John Lloyd), and Last Chance to See (1990, with Mark Carwardine). A movie version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide finally came out in 2005, with Martin Freeman playing Arthur Dent and narration by Adams’ good friend Stephen Fry.

Adams was six foot five inches and known to be hugely kindhearted as well as funny; he loved science and nature and technology and advocated for endangered animals, like the black rhino. Adams died at 49 of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California, where he and his family had moved in 1999; he was survived by his wife and young daughter. Two weeks after Adam’s death, on May 25, his fans celebrated the first Towel Day (now held annually) in commemoration.

Have a fine Monday, keep your towel with you at all times, and stay scrupulously honest to the data.