Charles M. Schulz

Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip. Charles M. Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in Saint Paul. He was the only child of Carl Schulz, who was German, and Dena, who was Norwegian. His uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after the horse Spark Plug in the Barney Google comic strip. Schulz attended St. Paul's Richard Gordon Elementary School, where he skipped two half-grades. He became a shy and isolated teenager, perhaps as a result of being the youngest in his class at Central High School. After his mother died in February 1943, he was drafted into the United States Army and was sent to Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He was shipped to Europe two years later to fight in World War II with the U.S. 20th Armored Division. Schulz attained the rank of Staff Sergeant and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge. After leaving the army in 1945, he returned to...