Walt Disney Lied About His Age to Serve in WWI and Other Fascinating Facts About The Legendary American

When it comes to Walt Disney's legacy, especially for us Disneyland fans, we often associate him with trademarks around the park. For instance, we know that the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was the last one that he personally oversaw before his passing. Or when we begin our walk down Main Street, U.S.A. we can glance up to see the lantern, still lit in his memory, in the window of his apartment that he stayed at when he worked on his many projects at the park.

Walt Disney led a fascinating life and many of the facts that surround his legacy are inspiring. Here are seven facts about Walt Disney's life and legacy that will inspire you to live your dreams!

Walt Disney's Love For Trains

Walt Disney was extremely passionate about trains. As a teenager in Kansas City, he worked selling concessions on trains. Later on, he built model train sets, even a 1/8-scale scale train, The Carolwood Pacific Railroad (named after the street he lived on) that wrapped around his property in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

At Disneyland, we see Walt's love for trains through the Disneyland Railroad, with two steam engines operating on opening day attractions at the park. Today, the train stops at Main Street, U.S.A., New Orleans Square, Mickey's Toontown, and Tomorrowland.

He Came From a Modest Family

Walt Disney was one of five children and grew up on a small farm in Missouri. Walt's family moved to Kansas City and sold the farm to make ends meet in 1911. Walt grew up helping his family make ends meet and put food on the table. His father purchased a local newspaper route and Walt would help his father before and after school delivering papers for six years.

He Lied About His Age To Serve In WWI

Walt Disney has a well-known history of being patriotic. When he was 16 years old the United States entered World War I and he tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy. After being turned down due to his age, he was accepted as a Red Cross ambulance driver and spent a year driving an ambulance and chauffeuring Red Cross officials. According to D23, “His ambulance was covered from stem to stern, not with stock camouflage, but with drawings and cartoons.”

Moved to Hollywood on a Dream

In 1923, Walt Disney left his home of Kansas City to go to Hollywood with not much more than a dream. Walt's brother, Roy O. Disney, already lived in California at the time and they worked together to pool their resources to begin their production dream together. It takes bravery to make such a drastic life change with nothing more than $40 bucks to your name.

A Hard Road from Oswald to Mickey

In 1927, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was created by the Walt Disney Studio and was the first animated character to feature in his own series. In 1928, Disney lost the rights to Oswald along with many of his staff to Universal Studios. Mickey Mouse's creation was a response to this loss and turned out to be a successful way to recover from such a blow to his studio. The Walt Disney Company didn't get the rights to Oswald back until 2006 when current CEO Bob Iger negotiated a deal with Universal Studios to gain the rights back for Oswald.

Walt Voiced Mickey Mouse in the Beginning

When Mickey Mouse spoke for the first time in 1929, Walt Disney was not happy with the voice of his iconic mouse and decided to do Mickey's voice himself. He was the voice of Mickey Mouse until 1947's Mickey and the Beanstalk.

He Mortgaged His House for Snow White

Before the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the Walt Disney Studio mainly created cartoon shorts that were shown before feature-length films. At this time Disney started to think that a full-length animated movie was the next step for his studio. Nearly everyone thought this was a bad idea including Roy- his brother and business partner. Hollywood magazines even called this move “Disney's Folly” since the cost of the movie was near $1.5 million. Luckily for Disney, Snow White was a huge success bringing in $8 million and was called an “authentic masterpiece.”

Walt Disney Has Won the Most Academy Awards

To this day, Disney still holds the world record for the most Academy Awards received for one individual. The many animated hits after Snow White, such as Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi, resulted in winning 26 Academy Awards. He was also nominated 59 times- leaving behind quite the legacy!

Walt Disney's Fire Station Apartment

Near Main Street, U.S.A., above the Town Square Fire Station, you'll see a window with a lamp. This is where Walt Disney's own private space was for himself and his family at Disneyland, and the apartment is themed to the Victorian era. Knowing he would need to be constantly traveling back and forth from the park, Disney used this space to work and rest. The lamp in the window remains lit, a symbol of Walt Disney's spirit persisting to this day.

Walt Disney's Honorary Degrees

Walt had only attended a year of high school before he left to serve as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross. Though Walt Disney dropped out of high school, he was awarded with honorary Masters of Arts degrees from Yale and Harvard and a Master of Science degree from USC. These degrees honored his contributions to the field of animation, celebrated his creativity, and recognized the incredible impact he has made.

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Walt Disney's love for his country is evident in the patriotic experiences distributed all throughout Disneyland. Read about the most American things at Disneyland, from the details of Main Street U.S.A. to theGreat Moments With Mr. Lincoln show and more!

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