Charles Schulz Biography
Charles Schultz (1922 - 2000) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1922. Nicknamed "Sparky" by an uncle a few days after his birth, Schulz was a quiet boy fascinated by comic strips such as Popeye, Skippy, and Mickey Mouse. He graduated from St. Paul's Central High School in 1940 and took a correspondence course with the Federal School of Applied Cartooning to learn letters, perspective and the basics of cartooning. Schulz served in the 20th Armored Division from 1943 until the end of World War II. He returned to St. Paul and was hired to do letters for a Catholic comics magazine, Timeless Topix. Not long after, he became an instructor at the correspondence school, now called Art Instruction Schools. It was there that Schulz developed his comic style and worked with several colleagues who would later become the inspiration for some Peanuts characters. The first Peanuts strip debuted on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers nationwide, including the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Eventually, the strip would appear in over 2,600 newspapers worldwide. Some of Schulz's other works include Li'l Folks, a weekly comic he drew for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and It's Only a Game, drawn in collaboration with fellow comic Jim Sasseville. The Peanuts phenomenon has expanded beyond newspapers to include books, animated television specials, theme parks and a musical. Schulz received many awards during his career. He retired from drawing Peanuts in January 2000 and died shortly thereafter on February 12, 2000 in Santa Rosa, California.
