Timelines

This timeline features important events from Roald Dahl's life.

• 1911     Harald Dahl (Roald's father) marries Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg and they move to Llandaff, South Wales.
• 1916     Roald Dahl born September 13, 1916 in Llandaff.
• 1920     Sister Astri dies of appendicitis at the age of seven. A few months later Dahl's father, Harald Dahl, dies.
• 1923     Enters Llandaff Cathedral School.
• 1925     Enters St. Peter's School in Weston–Super–Mare.
• 1929     Enters Repton Public School in Derby.
• 1934     Graduates from Repton. Accepts position with Shell Oil Company in London.
• 1938     Begins working in Shell's branch office in East Africa.
• 1939     Joins Royal Air Force. Learns to fly fighter plane in Nairobi, Kenya.
• 1940     Suffers serious injuries as result of plane crash in Libya. Spends several months in military hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.
• 1941     Rejoins his squadron, then stationed in Greece.
• 1942     Begins working at British Embassy in Washington.
• 1944     Dahl secures literary agent, Ann Watkins, and short stories begin to be published in American magazines.
• 1945     Moves back to Amersham, England to be near mother Sofie.
• 1948     Begins dividing his time between England and New York City.
• 1951     Meets future wife, actress Patricia Neal.
• 1953     Marries Patricia Neal on July 2.
• 1954     Purchases "Little Whitefield" farmhouse (later renamed "Gipsy House") in Great Missenden, England.
• 1955     Daughter Olivia Twenty born April 20.
• 1957     Daughter Chantal Sophia (renamed Tessa to avoid the rhyme) born April 11.
• 1960     Son, Theo Matthew Roald, born July 30. Later baby's carriage is hit by taxicab in New York City, causing massive head injuries.
• 1962     Daughter Olivia dies of measles encephalities on November 17.
• 1964     Daughter Ophelia Magdalena born May 12.
• 1965     Patricia Neal suffers three massive strokes on February 17 and returns home three months later. Daughter Lucy Neal born August 4.
• 1967     Dahl's mother Sofie dies on November 17.
• 1979     Separates from Patricia Neal.
• 1983     Divorces Patricia Neal on November 17 and marries Felicity Crosland.
• 1990     Roald Dahl dies November 23 in Oxford, England.