Happy 114th birthday to Dr. Seuss! Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Doctor Seuss, is a world-famous children’s author, known for writing timeless classics such as Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, and so much more. On Friday, March 2, teachers and students across the country celebrated the books of Dr. Seuss with “Read Across America Day.”
Theodor Seuss Giesel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He would have turned 114 today if he didn’t pass away on September 24, 1991.
How did he get the name of Dr. Seuss? It’s a funny story actually. According to Biography.com, the future children’s author picked up the penname of Dr. Seuss in his senior year at Dartmouth College. The reason he adopted this name is simply because he was prohibited from contributing to the campus’ humor magazine after he was discovered drinking gin in his dorm. Who knew Dr. Seuss was a total bro?
For all those writers who are feeling down after receiving rejection after rejection from publisher after publisher, you should keep in mind that Dr. Seuss’ first novel was rejected 27 times. That’s right! Even the great Dr. Seuss had trouble getting published. In 1937, his friend helped him get his first novel, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, published through Vanguard Press.
I bet you didn’t know that Dr. Seuss also had a job making animated training videos for U.S. soldiers and propaganda posters during World War II. Just a little fun fact before you get to those Seuss quotes…
