Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. To his closest associates, the doctor was known as "Ted," according to the Seussville website (see Resources). He died Sept. 24, 1991.
Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated many books, but he also wrote for films during World War II, including two documentaries that won Academy Awards.
"The Cat in the Hat" is a Dr. Seuss classic. It was written to fulfill a challenge from a publisher who asked Dr. Seuss to incorporate 220 vocabulary words into a children's book, according to Seussville.
While Dr. Seuss authored more than 60 books, he also wrote several more under the name Theo LeSieg, which is "Geisel" backwards.
Dr. Seuss is memorialized in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, with the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, which features sculptures of Seuss and some of his more memorable characters.