A beloved children's writer, Dr. Seuss is an author that we all grew up with. But do you really know him as well as you think you do? These facts might just surprise you.

He wasn't a real doctor.

You might have already known this but good old Dr. Seuss wasn't actually a doctor of anything and he only received an honourary doctorate in 1956. He actually added the title because he not only felt that it would help to improve his standing with his books, but also because his father had always wanted him to go into medicine.

He wasn't always 'Seuss'.

That's right, Dr. Seuss didn't always go by that pen name. His full name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. However, he started going by 'Seuss' when he was in college, after gin was discovered in his dorm room and he was asked to step down as editor of Dartmouth's humour magazine. To continue writing, he chose to go by 'Seuss' instead.

You're saying it wrong.

The correct pronunciation of 'Seuss' rhymes with 'voice'; however, everyone pronounces it to rhyme with 'goose'. Eventually, Seuss caved in to the popular pronunciation of the name and stopped correcting people.

He wasn't a fan of children.

That's right, the king of children's books actually didn't like kids that much. Apparently, he is reported to have once said, "You have 'em, I'll amuse 'em." According to his widow, Seuss was a bit afraid of kids and was always wondering what they would do next.

He wasn't always a success.

Rejection is part of every author's life and Seuss was no different. His first book, And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before it was finally picked up by a publisher in 1937.

He coined the word 'nerd'.

Yep, Seuss had more of an effect on pop culture than you might think. The first recorded instance of the word 'nerd' came from Seuss' book If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950.

Horton Hears a Who is actually about Japan.

Seuss' books are known for having a deeper meaning than just being entertaining kid's books and this one was no different. Horton Hears a Who was actually about America's treatment of post-war Japan. After WWII, Japan needed the support of a big country to help it recover from the devestation; Seuss wrote about Horton's adventure with a Who after a trip to post-war Hiroshima. The book is actually dedicated to a friend of his in Japan.

Green Eggs and Ham was written for a bet.

Yep, that's right, a bet. In 1960, Seuss' editor, Bennett Cerf, bet Seuss that he couldn't write a book using only 50 words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham, which uses exactly 50 words: "I am Sam; that; do not like; you green eggs and ham; them; would here or there; anywhere; in a house with mouse; eat box fox; car they; could; may will see tree; let me be; train on; say the dark; rain; goat; boat; so try may; if; good; thank. We could not say that five times fast. Would not, could not." Don't make a bet with Seuss!