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Born.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born. He was born on March 2,1904 in Springfield Massachusetts. His father was Theodor Robert Geisel. His mother’s name is Henrietta Seuss Geisel. -
College.
Theodor attends Dartmouth College in 1921. He decided to major in English. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1925. -
Oxford.
In 1925 Theodor decided to to Oxford University. He went there to become a professor. Later Theodor realized that, that's not what he wanted to do. He didn't stay there for long and decided to drop out in 1927. -
First Cartoon.
Dr. Seuss’s first nationally published cartoon was on July 16, 1927. He would always send his cartoons to newspapers hoping to get recognized. That day happened to be the day his cartoon got nationally published. It was published on “The Saturday Evening Post”. -
First Wife.
Dr. Seuss married Helen Palmer. He met her at Oxford University. When he married her he came back to the U.S . -
Pen Name.
Once Theodor left school he started signing his work as Dr. Theophrastus Seuss. He later decided to change it. Even though he didn't finish his doctorate in literature he still decided to make his pen name "Dr. Seuss" He decided to shorten it. He added "Dr." to his pen name because his father always wanted him to study medicine. -
Illustration.
In 1931 a book was published which was illustrated by Dr. Seuss. This book was not written by Dr. Seuss. It was his first time his illustrations came out in a book. -
First Book.
Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was published. It was called “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”. The book was originally published in 1937. At first the book was called “A Story That No One Can Beat”. -
Political Cartoons.
During 1940 he started getting concerned about the war in Europe. With World War II happening he decided to focus on writing political cartoons. Theodor managed to write over 400 political cartoons. -
Joins Army.
Theodor joins the army. He decided to join in 1942 to support the U.S war effort. At first he only drew posters for them. Later in 1943 he decided to join and became the commander of the Animation Dept. of the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Army Air Forces. -
"How The Grinch Stole Christmas".
In 1957 "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" was published. It is a children's book about how this grumpy Grinch tries to end Christmas. He steals gifts off off peoples houses in Whoville on Christmas Eve hoping to put an end to it. -
"The Cat In The Hat".
In 1957 “The Cat In The Hat” was published. This book was doing very well in bookstores. This book made him get more recognition. This book is one of his most popular ones. -
"Green Eggs and Ham"
In 1960 the book "Green Eggs and Ham" was published. This book is more for beginners. The book has fifty different words. It was a bet his friend made him saying Seuss couldn't write a book with only fifty different words. Seuss ended up proving him wrong. -
Animated Television Special.
In this year “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” first aired. It became an animated television special. It was considered a short film. It was based on one of Dr. Seuss’s books. -
Second Wife.
Theodor marries Audrey Stone Diamond. After Helen’s death he didn’t stay alone for long. He decided to get married to Audrey. Audrey and Theodor had always been good friends and decided to get together in 1968. -
Favorite Book.
"The Lorax" was published in 1971. The book is about pollution and how it can be dangerous. Dr. Seuss said that "The Lorax" was his favorite book he had written. -
Cancer.
In 1983 Dr. Seuss was diagnosed with cancer. He was at a dentist appointment they ended up finding a lesion on his tongue. It was a cancerous lesion which was caused by his many years of smoking. He had to get lots of surgeries done on his tongue . -
Pulitzer Prize.
In 1984 Theodor Seuss Geisel was awarded with a Special Citation in Letters From the Pulitzer Prize Committee.. This was special because only one other novelist has been rewarded with a special award or citation. He received the award because of his contributions to the enjoyment and education in children. -
Last Book.
In January 22. 1990 "Oh The Places You'll Go" was published. This was Dr. Seuss's last book. Dr. Seuss managed to find the strength to write and illustrate one more book. The book is about the challenges of life. -
Death.
On September 24, 1991 Dr. Seuss died. The cancer didn't fully go away. He ended up getting very sick and later died. Dr. Seuss died in his home studio.