The late Theodor S. Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield.
Theodor S. GeiselThe late Theodor S. Geisel was born on March 2, 1904. Here are five facts you may not have known about the Springfield native and author of the beloved Dr. Seuss books.
His 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo” contains the first published instance of the word “nerd.”
Geisel was kicked off Dartmouth’s humor magazine for drinking gin with friends during Prohibition. He continued to submit cartoons under various pen names, including Seuss.
More than 25 publishers rejected his first book, “And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street.”
Geisel won a bet with his publisher by writing “Green Eggs and Ham” using only 50 words.
Dr. Seuss book sales have topped 222 million copies.