Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. Despite this, he lived in Marceline, Kansas for most of his childhood. He and his family worked and lived on a small farm, and during their free time, he used his imagination to doodle animals that he then sold to friends and neighbors. In 1911, Walt's father fell ill and the Disney family moved to Kansas City. There, Walt and his brother Roy delivered newspapers for their father. They woke up at ungodly hours, like three in the morning, and worked seven days a week. Despite school and work, Walt still found time for his drawings. After completing middle school, the Disney family returned to Chicago, where Walt would later graduate from high school. During the end of World War I, he joined the Red Cross and served for nine months in France. He transported officers, hauled supplies and drove ambulances. Once the tour was completed, Walt returned to the United States and began a career in animation and commercial art. It was here that he met Ub Iwerks. The two immediately became friends and excellent partners. They worked together to create animated advertisements for an advertising company. They tried starting their own business and created Laugh-O-Gram Films. Their first show was Alice's Wonderland, a show that mixed live action and animation. The company didn't last long and went bankrupt after just a year and a half. He moved to California with his brother Roy in hopes of finding more success in Hollywood. He and Uub worked for Universal Studios under Charles Mintz where they continued to make Alice comedies. Walt also created his first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald quickly rose to fame and surpassed Felix the Cat's... middle of paper... mmunity of Tomorrow or EPCOT. Unfortunately, Walt never saw his vision come to fruition. On December 15, 1966, Walt Disney died of lung cancer. The whole world mourned his death. For a while, the company struggled without his leadership. Some feared that the company might collapse or that the quality of work would decline. Thankfully, none of these things happened. In 1971 Walt Disney World opened to the public. It gained the same popularity as its west coast counterpart. The company continued to produce animated films and began making live action films. Today, Walt's legacy lives on in parks and films. Those who work for his company strive for perfection and innovation. They continue in the name of the great man who created an empire from the ground up. The man who faced numerous obstacles that tried to lead him to failure. The man who is Walt Disney.