By: HISTORY.com Editors

1920

Christopher Robin’s birthday

Christopher Robin Milne And Teddy Bear
Bettmann Archive
Published: November 13, 2009Last Updated: August 15, 2025

Daphne Milne, wife of writer A.A. Milne, gives birth to a son, who the couple name Christopher Robin Milne on August 21, 1920. Christopher Robin will be immortalized in A.A. Milne’s books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

A.A. Milne was born in London in 1882, the youngest of three sons. His parents were both schoolteachers; his father was headmaster at a school where H.G. Wells taught. His family claimed Milne taught himself to read at age two. He began writing humorous pieces as a schoolboy and continued at Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate paper. In 1903, he left Cambridge and went to London to write. Although he was broke by the end of his first year, he persevered and supported himself until 1906 with his writing. That year, he joined humor magazine Punch as an editor and wrote humorous verse and essays for the magazine for eight years, until World War I broke out. While at Punch, he wrote his first book-for adults, not children.

In 1913, he married Daphne and two years later went to France to serve in World War I. While in the military, he wrote three plays, one of which, Mr. Pim Passes By, became a hit in 1919 and provided financial security for the family. In 1920, the couple’s only son, Christopher Robin, was born. In 1925, the family bought Cotchford Farm in Sussex; a nearby forest inspired the 100-Acre Wood where Winnie-the-Pooh’s adventures would be set.

The True Story of the Real-Life Winnie-the-Pooh

Find out how a real-life black bear owned by a Canadian soldier serving in World War I inspired the famous children’s book.

LONDON - DECEMBER 15: A rare American first edition of a Winnie-the-Pooh book is displayed at a press preview at Sotheby's Auctioneers on December 15, 2008 in London. Sotheby's is holding an auction of original artworks and rare first edition books featuring the famous characters by A.A. Milne from the private collections of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone on December 17, 2008. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Find out how a real-life black bear owned by a Canadian soldier serving in World War I inspired the famous children’s book.

By: Christopher Klein

Milne published two volumes of the verse he wrote for his son. When We Were Very Young was published in 1924, followed by Now We Are Six in 1927.

When Christopher Robin was about one, he received a stuffed bear as a present. The child soon accumulated a collection of similar animals, which inspired Milne to begin writing a series of whimsical stories about the toys. Winnie-the-Pooh was published in 1926 and The House at Pooh Corner in 1928. Ernest Shepard illustrated the books, using Christopher Robin and his animals as models.

A.A. Milne wrote numerous other books and plays, but is remembered almost solely for his beloved children’s work. He died in 1956. Christopher Robin died in 1996.

Timeline

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Citation Information

Article title
Christopher Robin’s birthday
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
August 21, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
August 15, 2025
Original Published Date
November 13, 2009

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