Samuel Pepys was an English diarist who is best known for his diary, which he kept from 1660 to 1669. He documented the events of the Restoration period, including the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. His diary is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. Pepys was also a Member of Parliament, a naval administrator, and a civil servant. He was knighted in 1684 and died in 1703.