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F. Scott Fitzgerald was born
Full Name: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for part of his youth. His family, who had a small forturne, moved around on the East Coast. They lost some of their money, and then stayed in St. Paul. He also spent a lot of time at boarding school. Gatsby also lived in the midwest in his youth. His family was also poor too, although Fitzgerald was not as poor as Gatsby. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald goes to Princeton
Fitzgerald focused on his writing more than his coursework while at Princeton. He wrote scripts for musicals and articles for newspapers, but was also on academic probation because of his poor grades. -
Fitzgerald drops out of Princeton
Fitzgerald dropped out of Princeton to join the army. Gatsby also dropped out of college, although not to join the army. He was just unpleased with college. Gatsby eventually did join the army though. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald moves to New York
After being discharged from the army, Fitzgerald moved to New York to make enough money to convince Zelda (the women he loved) to marry him. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald moves back to St. Paul
Fitzgerald moved back to St. Paul to rewrite his book The Romantic Egotist. This book became This Side of Paradise. -
This Side of Paradise is published
This is Fitzgerald's first novel. It was an overnight success, and quickly made Fitzgerald enough money to get Zelda to marry him. Gatsby also made a lot of money very quickly, but his means of money making were not entirely legal. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda get married
Fitzgerald finally proposes to Zelda -
Fitzgerald and Zelda have their first child
Their first child is a daughter they named Frances Scott (Scottie) Fitzgerald. It is said that Zelda wanted Scottie to be a "beautiful little fool". Scottie's parents were not reliable parents. Daisy said the same thing when her daughter was born. She also left servants to raise her child for her. -
The Beautiful and the Damned published
This is Fitzgerald's second novel. It is his first novel that captures the corruption and excess of the Jazz Age. -
Fitzgerald goes to France
Fitzgerald goes to France to work on his next novel, The Great Gatsby. While in France Zelda is said to have an affair that puts strain on their relationship. Fitzgerald also meets and becomes friends with Ernest Hemmingway. Tom and Daisy also had affairs that put extra strain on their marriage. -
The Great Gatsby published
Even though The Great Gatsby was pulished in 1925, it didn't gain its current popularity until the 1950s/1960s. -
The Fitzgeralds move back to America
The Fitzgeralds move back to America where F. Scott continued to try to write, with no avail. He worked on stories and well as screenplays. Daisy and Tom also moved around a lot. -
The Fitzgeralds go back to France
The Fitzgeralds returned to Fance. While there Zelda became entrenched in trying to create a ballet career for herself. This became detrimental for her health. -
Zelda has her first mental breakdown
Zelda is sent to the hospital after her mental breakdown. She would remain there until 1931. -
Tender is the Night is published
This was another one of Fitzgerald's books that did poorly when it was released, but later gained popularity. -
"The crack up"
The Fitzgerald's move to North Carolina. They are in an incredible amount of debt. This is also when they stop caring for Scottie completely. -
F. Scott moves to Hollywood
F. Scott Fitzgerald moves to Hollywood and starts to write scripts for movies. He was able to pay off most of his debts with what he made writing movies. During this time his marriage deteriorated. He also started a new relationship with movie columnist Shelia Grahm. -
Fitzgerald starts The Love of the Last Tycoon
This is Fitzgerald's final novel. He never completes it. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald dies
He was only 44 when he died. He died rather unexpectedly of a heart attack. Gatsby also died when he was young, and his death was not expected.