September 13th is Roald Dahl Day

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, do any of these sound at all familiar to you? If so, you may unknowingly be a fan of the fantastic and creative Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl Day celebrates this creative master and all of the work he’s done bringing stories of fiction and wonder to children everywhere through the Roald Dahl Marvelous Children’s Charity. Learn more on the Roald Dahl Day website.

History of Roald Dahl Day

Roald Dahl has a truly amazing history, and it all started in 1916 in Cardiff, Wale, where he was born to Norwegian parents Sofie Magdalene Dahl and Harald Dahl. He lost both his sister and his father at the age of three, but his mother chose to remain in Wales to honor his father wishes that he be educated in British schools. From there he continued to Repton School in Derbyshire, where one of his most important works would be conceived. Cadbury regularly sent chocolate bars to the school to be tested by the students, which led to Roald having dreams of creating a chocolate bar so delicious that Mr. Cadbury would praise it. If you guessed this was the origins of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory you’re dead on.

What you may not know is that he went on to be a Fighter Ace during WWII, and had a long and distinguished career in which he fought in some of the most significant air battles of the war. Ultimately he started experiencing severe headaches that prevented him from flying, and spent the rest of his career working as a diplomat, writer, and intelligence officer. It was during this time that he wrote The Gremlins his first children’s book, and it was written for Walt Disney Productions to promote a full-length film that remained unmade. From there on out he continued writing prolifically, creating some of the most popular stories in history.

How to celebrate Roald Dahl Day

Our preferred way of kicking off Roald Dahl Day is with a run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a movie that was written by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes and is a childhood favorite of millions everywhere. From there on out it’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the list of other movies that were based on his works. Get a group of friends together and put out a donation bowl to send to Roald Dahl’s Marvelous Children’s Charity, and you have a great Roald Dahl’s Day planned!