evidence: ON OCTOBER 16, 1854, Irish poet and playwright Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born to Anglo-Irish couple Jane, née Elgee and Sir William Wilde at 21 Westland Row, Dublin. [...] Wilde enduring his fair share of difficulties too. During his lifetime, he was put on trial for being gay, while he also died tragically, of meningitis while living in Paris. [...] circa 1884: Irish playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), author of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)