WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT FRED ROGERS.

by Eddie Winkle (NWM Staff Writer)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began in 1968. In total, Fred had 895 beautiful days in the neighborhood. Each and every afternoon kids knew like clockwork Mister R. would come home and slip into his sneakers and cardigan and take them on a journey to make believe.

Here are some little facts you might not know about this icon of children's television.

Mr. Rogers composed all the music for the show and over 200 tunes.

He dropped out the Ivy League school Dartmouth to attend Rollins University to pursue a career in music.

Fred was color blind (couldn’t see the color blue).

He went to congress to lobby for funding for public television and to testify in favor of the use of the VCR to record television programs.

Mr. Rogers gave Michael Keaton his first big break, by letting him help with the puppets and the trolley.

He was an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Fred was from Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

All the puppets and characters were named after real people in Fred Roger’s life – Queen Sara (his wife) and Mr. McFeely (his maternal grandfather.)