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Birthday
In the town of St. Paul, Minnesota, Mary McQuillan gives birth to Francis Scott Fitzgerald. He is named after Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote the star spangled banner and is a distant relative. -
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Family Movings & Father Fitzgerald
Throughout Fitzgerald’s early life, he along with the rest of his family would move to New York because of the fathers job opportunities. Only 1 year later the family would move back to St. Paul after the father loses his job. -
The First Writing
When Fitzgerald is 13, he publishes his first piece of writing in the school (St. Paul Academy) newspaper. The piece is a detective story. -
Detecting Talent
Fitzgerald attends the Newman catholic school in New Jersey. It is there he meets father Sigourney Fay, who notices Fitzgerald’s talent and encourages him to peruse it. -
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Princeton University
Fitzgerald gets accepted into Princeton University. During his first years he writes for the schools humor magazine, The Princeton Tiger. Fitzgerald’s work gets noticed by many. The following years he climbs his way up the literary hierarchy in Princeton. Eventually, he writes scripts for the universities drama club. -
The Army & Zelda Sayre
The United States enters World War 1. Fitzgerald drops out of Princeton and takes a commission as the 2nd lieutenant in the army. It is during the summer when Fitzgerald is stationed in Montgomery, Alabama, he meets Zelda Sayre. They become engaged, but Fitzgerald suffers some financial issues. -
The Beginning
Fitzgerald is done with the army. He moves to New York where he makes 90$ a month as an advertising agent. Zelda breaks off the engagement because she is tired of waiting for Fitzgerald to make his fortune. After this, he returns to St. Paul and continues writing a novel he started in the army. -
This Side of Paradise
Fitzgerald makes his first book titled, ‘This Side of Paradise’. He accumulates enough fame and money to marry Zelda in April. In the first 3 days 3,000 copies of the book were made, they sold out. In total, 49,075 copies were sold between 1920 and 1921. In 1921, the new Fitzgerald family has a daughter named Francis (called ‘Scottie’). -
The Second & Third Publishing
Fitzgerald takes some time off to write his second novel, ‘The Beautiful and Damned’. In late 1922, it is published, along with ‘Tales of Ths Jazz Age’, a collection of short stories. Both of these novels sell incredibly well. -
France & The Masterpiece
The Fitzgerald’s and their new daughter move to Paris France. After a few years in Paris, they move to the Riviera, a Mediterranean coastland between France and Italy. While in the Riviera, Fitzgerald completes and publishes his masterpiece, ‘The Great Gatsby’. -
Rough Patch
After ‘The Great Gatsby’ is published, Fitzgerald suffers an alcohol related addiction. Zelda suffers a variety of mental breakdowns, spending her time in various European clinics from 1930-1932. With all this, Zelda publishes her first and only novel, ‘Save Me The Waltz’, based on her troubled marriage. -
The Last Novel
Fitzgerald completes his final novel, ‘Tender Is The Night’. It is critically acclaimed as one of his most moving novels, but unfortunately it is commercially unsuccessful. -
Mr. Hollywood
While Zelda is in Highland hospital in Ashland, North Carolina, Fitzgerald moves to Hollywood and becomes a scriptwriter for various films including ‘Three Comrades’. He would make $1000 a week doing this. -
A Hollywood Love Story
While Fitzgerald is writing scripts in Hollywood, he falls in love with Sheilah Graham, a famous Hollywood gossip columnist. Later in 1939, Fitzgerald begins writing a novel about Hollywood titled, ‘The Last Tycoon’. -
Death
Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack in Hollywood. ‘The Last Tycoon’ is published a few years after his death. Zelda Fitzgerald perished at a fire in Highland hospital in 1948.