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Charles Schulz: The Man Behind Charlie Brown

  • Charles Schulz is born

    Charles Schulz is born
    Charles Monroe Schulz was born on November 26, 1922. Less than a week later, he was nicknamed "Sparky" for the sad-eyed horse from the comic strip "Barney Google."
  • Period: to

    Charles Schulz: The man behind Charles Schulz

  • Snooky

    Snooky
    When Charles Schulz was a small boy, the family got a little Boston Bull Terrier named Snooky, but it was the memory of their next dog, Spike, that would spur the antics of Snoopy for years to come.
  • First Drawings

    “My earliest recollection of drawing and getting credit for it and being complimented on it is from kindergarten. I think it was my first day, and the teacher gave us huge sheets of white paper, large black crayons, and told us to draw anything we wanted. I drew a man shoveling snow, and she came around, paused, looked at my picture, and said, ‘Someday, Charles, you’re going to be an artist.’ Now she wasn’t quite right – she didn’t say ‘cartoonist’ – but there was an interesting aspect to this."
  • Graduation

    Graduation
    After spending his sophomore through senior years at St. Paul’s Central High School, Charles Schulz graduated on June 14, 1940.
  • A Deathly Surprise

    Sparky's mother, Dana, died unexpectedly of cervical cancer in 1943. Back at the time, doctors did not tell their patients when they had an incurable disease. Charles got a release from the army to visit her as she died.
  • Brave Heart

    Brave Heart
    On May 1, 1945, Sparky was awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge. This was regarded by other soldiers as a "fighter badge." This was his most prized possession.
  • Charlie Brown's First Appearance

    Charlie Brown's First Appearance
    Charlie Brown first appeared in Charles Schulz comic strip, Lil' Folks in 1947. But the comic strip "Lil' Folks" only lasted until 1950.
  • Charles Schulz First Marriage

    Charles Schulz First Marriage
    Joyce Steele Halverson was Charles Schulz's first wife. She impacted him in more of a physical way. The family moved fairly often at Joyce's requests.
  • Charles wins Reuben Aaward

    Marking a true career achievement in cartooning, Charles Schulz won the coveted Reuben award for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” from the National Cartoonists Society.
  • Twice As Nice

    Twice As Nice
    In 1955, Charles Schulz won his first Reuben Award.In 1964, Sparky became the first cartoonist to win the Reuben twice.
  • Fame continues with TIME

    Fame continues with TIME
    The Peanuts characters appeared on the front page of Time on April 9, 1965.
  • "Peanuts" in motion

    "Peanuts" in motion
    On December 9, 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," aired for the first time on T.V. It was the first televised "Peanuts" program.
  • Reuben Award

    Reuben Award
    A Charlie Brown Christmas is awarded the George Foster Peabody Award on April 21, 1966.
  • Emmy takes the lead

    Emmy takes the lead
    On May 22, 1966, Charles M. Schulz wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program for A Charlie Brown Christmas.
  • NASA Calls

    NASA Calls
    Charles M. Schulz received a great honor in 1968 when he was approached by NASA to use Snoopy in the Manned Flight Awareness Program.
  • A Continuous Heartbeat

    Charles Schulz had an open-heart surgery in 1981. He was 59. It was successful - he was able to keep doing the things he loved, like tennis and hockey, after he had healed.
  • Snoopy Flies High

    Snoopy Flies High
    The first Peanuts character balloon debuted in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1968.
  • The Crack of the Peanut

    The Crack of the Peanut
    Charles Schulz died in his sleep. He had created almost 18000 strips in more than 2600 newspapers. He died the night before he had planned to retire. His last strip (the picture in this event) was intended to comclude his works. Sparky had written Peanuts for nearly 50 years. He was 77 years old when he passed away.