HEINLEIN TIME LINE
1907 Robert Anson Heinlein born to Bam Lyle and Rex Ivar Heinlein
on July 7 in Butler, Missouri as third of seven children.
In 1907 the Heinlein family lived in Butler, Bates County,
Missouri. Robert Anson Heinlein was born on July 7, being the
third son of Rex Ivar Heinlein and Bam Lyle Heinlein.There were
six more siblings, his elder brothers Rex and Lawrence, his
younger brother Jesse, and three younger sisters, Louise, Rose,
and Mary.
1924 Graduation from Central High School in Kansas City.
He graduated from Central High School in Kansas City in 1924
and attended one year of college at Kansas City Community
College. His brother Rex had gone to the Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Maryland, and Heinlein wanted the same future for
himself. He therefore collected letters of recommendation to be
sent to his senator, James A. Reed. Thus it happened Reed
receiving one hundred letters requesting appointments to
Annapolis, nearly half of them in favor of Robert A. Heinlein.
1925 Heinlein enters the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
1929 Graduation from Naval Academy (with the equivalent of a
Bachelor's degree in Naval Engineering).
1929-1934 Several assignments including an assignment on the
aircraft carrier USS Lexington. His service on the destroyer USS
Roper made him seasick much of the time and weakened his health.
1932 Marries Leslyn MacDonald.
Little is known about his first wife. There are but a few brief
citings in various autobiographies by some of Heinlein's
contemporaries.
1934 Medical disability (lung tuberculosis) forcing him to
retire from the Navy as a lieutenant junior grade.
1934-1939 Recuperating in California and Colorado. Attends UCLA
graduate school (Advanced Engineering and Mathematics and
Architecture), sells real estate, runs for political office and
dabbles in silver mining.
In 1938 Heinlein was working as a staff writer for Upton
Sinclair's EPIC News, the organ of the EPIC (End Poverty In
California) campaign. Thus Heinlein ran for the 59th District
California State Assembly seat in the November 1938 election.
Running unopposed as a Democrat, he was narrowly defeated in the
primary by the Republican incumbent, Charles W. Lyons, who
'cross-filed' his name on the other party's ticket, which was
legal at that time. Fatally, Heinlein did not do the reverse.
In late 1938 the science fiction magazine Thrilling Wonder
Stories announced a story contest that led to the writing of his
first story, when he was broke, more or less. Heinlein decided
to send the story he had written to John W. Campbell's
Astounding Science Fiction instead.
1939 Publishes his first story, Life Line, in
Astounding Science Fiction.
1939-1942 successful work in the field of science fiction,
especially in Astounding.
1942-1945 civilian engineer at the Naval Air Experimental
Center in Philadelphia, PA.
1947 Green Hills of Earth released in the February 7
issue of the Saturday Evening Post. Rocket Ship Galileo
is the first of his novels for young people, later known as
his juvenile novels.
Divorces Leslyn in late 1947.
1948 Marries Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld. His second
juvenile novel is called Space Cadet.
1950 RAH helped with the script for Destination Moon,
the motion-picture version of Rocket Ship Galileo.
1956 First HUGO Award for Double Star. Also in 1956, The
Puppet Masters.
1957 Starship Troopers is a success, winning him his
second HUGO Award.
1961 Publishes Stranger in a Strange Land.
1962 Third HUGO Award for Stranger in a Strange Land.
1967 Successful publication of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,
another HUGO Award.
1969 Joins Walter Cronkite in commenting on the moon landing.
1970 I Will Fear No Evil.
1973 Time Enough For Love.
1975 Science Fiction Writers of America made him first 'Grand
Master of Science Fiction'.
1978 Successful carotid bypass operation.
1980 The Number of the Beast.
1984 JOB: A Comedy of Justice.
1985 The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.
1987 To Sail Beyond the Sunset.
1988 Dies May 9.
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