Was Dr. Seuss Even a Doctor? Secrets About The Cat in the Hat Author Revealed
You couldn’t callTheodor Seuss Geisela fool,but one thing is true: He did not go to medical school.
The children’s book author, betterknownasDr. Seuss,created a world of whimsy thathas inspiredcountlessmovies andTVshows—includingThe Cat in the Hat, in theaters today, Nov. 6. But despite his famous title, Seuss never actually earned a doctorate.
In fact, while Seuss briefly attended Oxford to pursue a PhD, he dropped out according to Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography,to focus on writing.
Instead,headopted thepen name to honorhis father, who always wanted him to be a doctor. Of course, after using the title for years,he finally earned it when his alma materDartmouth Collegeawarded him an honorary doctorate in 1956.
As for howCat in the Hat came to be? Seuss had written several books before he started teaching kids it was fun to have fun. In the 1950s, a director at Houghton Mifflin—a youth technology and reading company—challenged him to write a book using a list of children’s words without sounding absurd.