When Mickey Mouse was added to the Encyclopedia Britannica
Long before Google and Wikipedia the most comprehensive gathering of facts was the Encyclopedia Britannica. And being added to this prestigious resource was a big deal.
So in 1934, when Mickey Mouse was added to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it made news.
According to a 1934 New York Times report, “The most significant item of this week’s film news was the announcement that Mickey Mouse has crashed the Encyclopedia Britannica. The editors of the voluminous publication – according to United Artists – intend to present the history and mechanics of the animated cartoon in their next edition.”
The article goes on to say that the entry will be written by “Earl Theisen, honorary curator of motion pictures at the Los Angeles Museum and will be illustrated with sketches and photographs of Mickey, Minnie and other creatures of Walt Disney studios.”
The article then goes on to the big highlights Mickey and Walt Disney received in 1933. Including one of my favortites: In September 1933, the King of England refused to go to a motion picture until he was assured there would be a Mickey Mouse short shown.
