Today is Frankenstein Friday! Celebrated each year on the last Friday of October, Frankenstein Friday pays homage to one of the greatest gothic stories of all time. In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote a novel about a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein who discovers how to give life to inanimate bodies. He creates a monster that pursues him to the ends of the earth and eventually destroys everything he holds dear.

People often mistakenly use the name “Frankenstein” to refer to the hideous monster (famously played by Boris Karloff in the 1931 film), but Victor Frankenstein never gives his creation a name. Read a chapter from the book, send a free ecard monster to your friends, or create a mad scientist Halloween costume to celebrate Frankenstein Friday!