About Roald Dahl > Timelines

Timelines

This timeline contains all information about Roald Dahl’s life, the books he wrote, and movies, television shows, and theater productions he was involved in. It continues past his death to the present day (since new Dahl works are still being released).

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1911

Harald marries Sofie

Harald Dahl (Roald’s father) marries Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg and they move to Llandaff, South Wales.

1916

Roald Dahl born

September 13, 1916 – Roald Dahl is born in Llandaff, Wales.

1920

Astri and Harald die

Sister Astri dies of appendicitis at the age of seven. A few months later Roald’s father Harald dies.

1923

Llandaff Cathedral School

Roald enters Llandaff Cathedral School in Wales.

1925

St. Peter’s School

Roald enters St. Peter’s School in Weston-super-Mare, England.

1929

Repton School

Age 17

Roald enters Repton Public School in Derby.

1934

Roald graduates

Roald graduates from Repton and accepts a position with Shell Oil Company in London.

1938

Roald heads to Africa

Roald begins working in Shell’s branch office in East Africa.

1939

Roald joins the RAF

Flying Training, Nairobi

Roald joins the Royal Air Force and learns to fly fighter planes in Nairobi, Kenya.

1940

Plane crash!

Roald suffers serious injuries as result of a plane crash in Libya. He spends several months in a military hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.

1941

Battle of Athens

April 20, 1941 – Roald rejoins his squadron, then stationed in Greece, and participates in the Battle of Athens.

1942

Roald heads to the U.S.

Invalided out of the War, Roald heads to the U.S. to take up a position as assistant air attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

1942

“Shot Down Over Libya”

Page 29

August 1, 1942 – “Shot Down Over Libya” is published in The Saturday Evening Post.

1942

“The Gremlins”

December 1942 – “The Gremlins” is published in Cosmopolitan magazine.

1943

The Gremlins

First edition, front

First published book.

1943

“The Sword”

August 1943 – “The Sword” is published in The Atlantic magazine.

1944

Roald the writer

Dahl secures a literary agent, Ann Watkins, and short stories begin to be published in American magazines.

1944

“Katina”

March 1944 –  “Katina” is published in Ladies Home Journal magazine.

1944

“Only This”

September 1944 – “Only This” is published in Ladies Home Journal magazine.

1944

“Beware of the Dog”

October 1944 – “Beware of the Dog” is published in Harper’s Magazine.

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