Baum, Lyman Frank

1856 - Lyman Frank Baum was born 15th of May in Chittenango, New York.

His father bought him a cheap printing press, and Frank used it to produce The Rose Lawn Home Journal.

1868 - He was sent to study at Peekskill Military Academy.

1973 - Established a second amateur journal, The Stamp Collector, printed an 11-page pamphlet called Baum's Complete Stamp Dealers' Directory.

1876 - Baum took on a new vocation: the breeding of fancy poultry, which was a national craze at the time.

1880 - His father built him a theatre in Richburg, New York, and Baum set about writing plays.

1888 - Baum and his wife moved to Aberdeen, Dakota Territory, where he opened a store, "Baum's Bazaar".

1897 - Wrote and published Mother Goose in Prose, a collection of Mother Goose rhymes written as prose stories, and illustrated by Maxfield Parrish.

1899 - Partnered with illustrator W. W. Denslow, to publish Father Goose, His Book, a collection of nonsense poetry. The book was a success, becoming the best-selling children's book of the year.

1900 - Baum and Denslow (with whom he shared the copyright) published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

1902 - Baum and Denslow teamed up with composer Paul Tietjens and director Julian Mitchell to produce a musical stage version of the book under Fred R. Hamlin.

       - "The Wizard of Oz", opened in Chicago.

1919 - Lyman Frank Baum died 6th of May.