Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Schools and libraries around the world will be celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday today. (And, a few writer/moms.) He's not only one of America’s most beloved writers but also one of its most well known. The mere name conjures up words and illustrations that are uniquely his. But, how well do you know the man behind the work? How well do you know Theodor Seuss Geisel?

1. His father and grandfather were German immigrants and successful brewmasters.

2. As a Scout, he sold so many War Bonds that he was to receive a Presidential award. However, he never received his medal from President Roosevelt as, in the ceremony, they were one medal short. 

3. He was fired from his first writing job as the editor-in-chief of Dartmouth University humor magazine when he and his friends were found in violation of prohibition laws. He continued to write for the magazine using several pseudonyms. One of which was T. Seuss.

4. He used several pseudonyms throughout his career including Theo LeSieg (Geisel backwards) and Rosetta Stone.

5. Seuss was his mother’s maiden. The correct pronunciation is actually “Zoice.”

6. He lied to his father and told him that he had a scholarship to Oxford. Before he could tell him the truth, that his application had actually been denied, his father told the local paper and the inaccuracy was printed the next day. Geisel went on to Oxford anyway.

7. He worked for an ad agency for fifteen years and became famous for his adverts for a pesticide. He claimed he wrote children’s literature because the contract he had with the ad agency forbade him to write just about everything else.

8. He and his first wife Helen were unable to have children. Tired of hearing other parents brag about their kids, Ted, as he was known to his family, created then heartily bragged on a fictional one of his own: Chrysanthemum Pearl. Her name was even included on their Christmas cards. His second book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, is dedicated to Chrysanthemum. 

9. Helen was also a children’s author and editor. After a series of illnesses, she committed suicide in 1967, the same year The Cat in the Hat was published. 

10. His first published book, And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was refused by various publishers about thirty times. Geisel was about to throw the book away on the street when he ran into an old college friend that made its publication possible.

11. He drew propaganda cartoons for the Army. 

12. All totaled, Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated forty one books. Several more are attributed to him posthumously from notes he kept.

13. One of his most popular books was written after he was given a list of what were considered the 348 most important words first-graders should know and challenged to write a book using only those words. He went a step further, shortened the list, and using only 236 of the words, wrote one of the best selling children’s books of all time, The Cat in the Hat.

14. Green Eggs and Ham was also written on a dare. But instead of 236 words, he was to use only 50.

15. Ted remarried and became a father to two step children, the oldest of which is the sculptor of the sculpture garden dedicated to him in his home town of Springfield, MA.

16. He created the word, “nerd,” in his book If I Had a

Zoo.

17. Dr. Seuss NEVER won an award for book writing. He has been awarded Caldecotts for illustration, a Peabody for journalism and a Pulitzer as well as several others for contributions to children’s literature, also two Oscars and Emmys. But, as of today, not one for his actual writing of children’s book.

18. To date, more than 600 million books by Ted Geisel have been sold and translated into more than 20 languages.

19. He abhorred public speaking, it terrified him. He was even loathe to do interviews.

20. In the weeks before his death, he was asked what advice he would give to the children of America. It was, “we can…and we’ve got to…do better than this.”

21. The last line in the last book he ever wrote, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, reads: “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!”