Ub Iwerks

I've been sitting around trying to think about what I wanted to blog about today. Birthdays are always fun, especially when it's someone famous. So, I look up what I think is today's date on Wiki and find the name Ub Iwerks. I'm not familiar with the name, but it catches my eye because he's listed as an American cartoonist. I click on his name and am totally surprised by what I find. Mind you, for some stupid reason I thought today was the 24th, but it's actually the 25th. But really ... that doesn't matter.

Ub Iwerks wasn't just any American cartoonist. He was one of Walt Disney's closest friends. As if that wasn't enough, he's also the one credited for creating the one and only -- Mickey Mouse. Wow. I had no idea. I'm a big Disney fan, but I really don't know all that much about Disney history. If you were to ask me, I would have thought Walt created Mickey. Of course, some of you die-hard Disney fans probably knew this, but I didn't.

Anyway, yesterday was Ub Iwerks' birthday. He was born in 1901, which ironically was the same year Walt Disney was born. Iwerks died in 1971, which was the same year Walt Disney World opened. Walt, on the other hand, died in 1966 and never got to see the opening of his second amusement park. If Ub Iwerks were alive today, he would have celebrated his 111th birthday yesterday. If you'd like to read more, you can find it here.