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Birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald is born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Edward and Molly Fitzgerald. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald drops out of Princeton
Fitzgerald gets into Princeton, and fails in almost every class. He tried out for football, and didn't make it. He drops out after all these failures. -
Fitzgerald joins the U.S. Army
F. Scott Fitzgerald was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the infantry. He was convinced that he would die in the war, so he quickly wrote the novel, "The Romantic Egotist" -
Fitzgerald falls in love with Zelda Sayre
Fitzgerald is stationed in Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama where he meets 18 year old Zelda Sayre, who later breaks off the their engagement, because she didn't want to live on his small salary. -
Fitzgerald's work "This Side of Paradise" published
Fitzgerald had returned to St. Paul in July of 1919 and began to rewrite his novel "This Side of Paradise". It wasn't until March 3, 1920 that it was finally published. He was 24 years old, and became famous almost overnight with this accomplishment. -
Fitzgerald marries Zelda Sayre
A week after the successful publication of "This Side of Paradise", Zelda decides to marry F. Scott Fitzgerald, and they start out their life together in an extravagant manner. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda have a child
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda move to St. Paul in anticipation of their first and only child, Frances Scott Fitzgerald. -
Fitzgeralds move to Long Island
The Fitzgerald family moved to Great Neck, Long Island in hopes of success. When his Broadway playwright failed the following year, he wrote his way out of debt with short stories. -
Fitzgeralds travel to France
The Fitzgeralds travel to France seeking tranquility. This is when he began working on "The Great Gatsby". Zelda has an affair, damaging their already troubled marriage. -
"The Great Gatsby" is published.
The Fitzgeralds traveled to Rome and spent the winter of 1924-25 there. F. Scott Fitzgerald revised "The Great Gatsby" during this time, and as they made their way back to Paris, the novel was published. -
The Fitzgeralds return to America
The Fitzgeralds end up in Wilmington, Delaware where they rent a mansion for two years. Zelda begins working on ballet with hopes of becoming a professional dancer, but it only injures her and their marriage. -
Zelda has a mental breakdown
The pressures of life and failure in ballet contributed to Zelda having a mental breakdown in April of 1930. She receives treatment at a clinic in Switzerland for a year and a half. Fitzgerald wrote short stories to pay for her treatment. -
Fitzgeralds return to Montgomery, Alabama
In the fall of 1931, the Fitzgeralds return to Montgomery and rent a house. He tries to go back to Hollywood in 1931, but is unsuccessful in his venture. -
Zelda has another mental breakdown.
Zelda suffers a relapse, and goes for treatment this time in Baltimore. After this episide, she spends the rest of her life as a resident or outpatient of various sanitoriums. -
The "crack-up" period
Fitzgerald was ill, drunk, in debt and alone as Zelda is now living in mental hospitals, and his daughter, Scottie, lives in a boarding school. Fitzgerald only had contact with Scottie through letters. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald dies
Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack at his girlfriend, Sheilah Graham's, apartment.
