Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts is considered to be one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium.

Early life and education

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Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul. He was the only child of Carl Schulz, who was German, and Dena Halverson, who was Norwegian.[http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?041129fa_fact New Yorker Fact: Growing up with Charley Brown] His uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after the horse Spark Plug in the Barney Google comic strip.

Schulz loved drawing and sometimes drew his family dog, Spike, who ate unusual things, such as pins and tacks. Schulz drew a picture of Spike and sent it to Ripley's Believe It or Not!; his drawing appeared in the comic published by Robert Ripley, captioned "A h...