Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse was born on November 18, 1928 when Walt Disney released Steamboat Willie. Mickey was actually created by Ub Iwerks, not Walt Disney. "Ub who", you ask? Ubbe Ert Iwwerks was Disney's chief animator, and was the man who first drew the mouse character that became Mickey Mouse. Ub drew almost all of Mickey's first films. Ub tried to make it on his own and formed his own studio in 1930, but it flopped and closed in 1936. Ub came back to Disney in 1940 and developed the process for combining live shots with animation. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his special effects in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Ub died of a heart attack 37 years ago.