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People (March 2005)

CHARLES M. SCHULZ was the most widely syndicated cartoonist in history, with his work appearing in over 2,300 newspapers. He had published more than 1,400 books, won Peabody and Emmy awards for his animated specials, and was responsible for the most-produced musical in the American theatre, entitled "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown". And all this diversity and recognition and continuous success began more than 50 years ago when the United Feature Syndicate ran the first installment of a comic strip it dubbed "Peanuts".

Charles Schulz always knew he'd be a daily comic strip artist. In fact, a teacher even told him he was going to be an artist someday when he was in kindergarten. When he went to art school in Minneapolis, Charles was a shy and insecure student. He struggled through the course and only earned a C+ in "Drawing of Children."

As soon as Charles Schulz completed the course he was drafted into World War II where he became an infantryman, a staff sergeant and the leader of a machine-gun squad. He never gave up drawing and he always had time to decorate soldiers' letters home with cartoons. When Charles Schulz returned from the war, a small Roman Catholic magazine, Timeless Topix, offered him his first job in cartooning. He also took another job as a teacher where he met a friend named Charlie Brown and a girl with red hair who broke his heart. Charles never stopped looking for work doing comics and he eventually had some of his work sold in the Saturday Evening Post. The comic soon became a comic strip and was renamed PEANUTS, which Charles Schulz didn't like too much. The name stuck though and so did its main character Charlie Brown.

In December 1999, Charles Schulz decided to retire after he found out he had colon cancer. On February 17, 2000, Charles died only hours before his last original PEANUTS strip appeared in Sunday newspapers. PEANUTS is one of the most successful newspaper comic strips. It's laughed at in 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries and translated into 21 languages.

For more information, please visit Charles Schulz Musem and The Official Peanuts Website.

Charles Schulz Biography:

  • Nov. 26, 1922: Charles Monroe Schulz was born in Minneapolis as the only child of Dena and Carl Schulz, a hard-working St. Paul barber. An uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after Sparkplug, a horse in the Barney Google comic strip.
  • 1937: Schulz's first published drawing, a sketch of Spike, was included in the newspaper comics feature Believe it or Not by Robert Ripley.
  • 1950: After several rejections, Schulz sold his strip to United Feature Syndicate. The syndicate renamed his strip Peanuts, a title he never liked.
  • Oct. 2, 1950: Peanuts debuted in seven newspapers. The syndicate paid Schulz $90 for his first month of strips.
  • 1952: The first Sunday Peanuts page published; the strip was then featured in over 40 U.S. newspapers. The first book collection, Peanuts, was also published.
  • 1955: Kodak was the first product sponsor, using the Peanuts characters in a camera handbook. Schulz won his first Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society.
  • 1960: Hallmark produced Peanuts greeting cards. Peanuts art and animation used for Ford Falcon advertising campaign.
  • 1962: Happiness is a Warm Puppy was published. Peanuts named "Best Humor Strip of the Year" by the National Cartoonists Society.
  • 1964: Schulz became the first cartoonist to be awarded two Reubens by the National Cartoonists Society.
  • 1965: Peanuts featured on cover of Time magazine. TV carried Schulz's first animated TV feature, A Charlie Brown Christmas; it later won a Peabody Award and an Emmy.
  • 1967: The stage musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown opened off Broadway. It became the most-produced musical in America.
  • May 24, 1967: California Gov. Ronald Reagan greeted the cartoonist at the State Capitol in observance of the legislature-proclaimed "Charles Schulz Day."
  • 1969: Charlie Brown and Snoopy accompanied astronauts on Apollo X. Schulz opened his Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, California.
  • 1973: Schulz received Emmy Award for writing television special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
  • 1975: Peanuts celebrated 25 years. It was carried in approximately 1,480 U.S. and 175 foreign newspapers with 90,000,000 readers. Television special You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown won an Emmy.
  • 1978: International Pavilion of Humor in Montreal named Schulz Cartoonist of the Year.
  • 1980: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Me published by Schulz and R. Smith Kiliper. Television special Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown received an Emmy.
  • 1983: Television special What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? won a Peabody Award. Camp Snoopy opened at Knott's Berry Farm in California.
  • 1984: Peanuts qualified for place in Guinness Book of World Records after being sold to 2,000th newspaper.
  • 1985: You Don't Look 35, Charlie Brown published. The Oakland Museum of California opened anniversary exhibit, The Graphic Art of Charles Schulz.
  • 1990: Government of France named Schulz a "Commander of Arts and Letters." Snoopy in Fashion exhibit opened at the Louvre. This Is Your Childhood, Charlie Brown-Children in American Culture exhibit opened at The National Museum of History in Washington, D.C.
  • 1992: Snoopy, The Masterpiece exhibit opened at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. Schulz awarded the "Order of Merit" from the Italian Minister of Culture.
  • June 28, 1996: Schulz got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • Oct. 16, 1997: Schulz and wife Jeannie announced they would give $1 million toward the construction of a D-Day memorial to be placed in Virginia. World premiere of Peanuts Gallery by composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich held at Carnegie Hall.
  • 1999: Schulz's Peanuts: A Golden Celebration published. You're a Good Man Charlie Brown opened in a new production on Broadway. Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers worldwide. Over 20,000 products had been developed based on Peanuts.
  • December 14, 1999: Because of health problems Schulz announced his retirement.
  • Jan. 3, 2000: Schulz's final original daily comic strip appeared in newspapers.
  • Feb. 7, 2000: California lawmakers declared Sunday, Feb. 13 "Charles M. Schulz Day."
  • Feb. 12, 2000: Schulz died in his sleep at his home.
  • Feb. 13, 2000: Schulz's final Sunday strip appeared in newspapers around the world.
  • May 17, 2001: First Day Issue of U.S. Postal Service Peanuts stamp at Charles Schulz's Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, California.
  • August 17, 2002: Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center opened in Santa Rosa, across the street from the Redwood Empire Ice Arena.
  • Posthumous awards include: The Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the National Cartoonists Society in May 2000, and the Congressional Gold Medal by the U.S. Congress on June 7, 2001.