Check Out These Facts You May Not Know About Stephen King

One of Maine's most-notable residents, author Stephen King, celebrates his 70th birthday today.  Here are some facts you may not know about him:

According to Wikipedia:

-He was born in Portland, Maine on September 21st, 1947.  His father, a merchant seamen, was named Donald Edwin King.  His mother was Nellie Ruth.

-When Stephen was 2 years old, his father left "to get a pack of cigarettes" and never came back.

-Raising Stephen by herself, his mother moved them around a lot during the first decade of his life.  They spent time in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Connecticut before returning to Maine.

-In school, he began selling stories he had written to his friends, but he was forced to return the money he made when he was discovered by his teachers.

-He attended the University of Maine and graduated with a Bachelor of Art in English in 1970

-In 1971, he married Tabitha Spruce

-He sold his first short story, The Glass Floor, to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967

-He sold his first novel, Carrie, in 1973.  His advance was $2,500.  He ended up making $400,000 from it.

-Following his mother's death, he moved his family to Colorado.  While in Colorado, he write 1977's The Shining.  Colorado is also where he wrote The Stand.

He's also written several major non-horror books/movies including The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me.

-In 2003, he began writing a pop culture column for Entertainment Weekly

-Stephen King is a HUG fan of The Ramones.

-Also a big fan of AC/DC, he used their music for his movie "Maximum Overdrive"

-He and his wife own a group of radio stations in Bangor

Happy birthday, My King!  Thanks for all the scares!