L. Frank Baum

As a child, Baum had a heart problem, and would constantly pass out. He went to many schools, before finally being home-schooled. When he grew up, he married Maud Gage [Maud Gage Baum when married]. Supposedly, one of their children got a hold of Baum's razors, and sat on a window sill from the attic, and to save his son from falling, Baum told his son about a little boy who traveled to a Magic Land by a cyclone.

After that, Baum made up bits and pieces of it while in Abeerdeen, where he met, and began close relationship with his niece Dorothy Gage [born in 1883! I was born in 1983...connection?]. Some of the characters were based on real life people, like the Cowardly Lion, which was a man who had threatened Baum to a gun down, but Baum being an experinced actor scared the man off without shooting a bullet.

In 1889, Dorothy came down with a severe cold. And it is said, while she was dying, Baum told her it wasn't a little boy that traveled to the Magic Land, it was a little girl, and her name was Dorothy. A few weeks later Dorothy passed away.

The years went by, and Baum tried writing the story down, with enthiusiasm from his wife, but never got anywhere. One day, while his mother in law was visiting, Baum came out with the idea of a Wizard while thinking back on a business trip. He called his sons and their friends in and began to tell some of the story he had just made. While he was telling the story, a bold little child asked him, "Mr. Baum, doesn't the Magic Land have a name?" Baum said yes it does, and in a last attempt, he looked at his filing cabinet, and there on the bottom drawer, were the files O-Z

"Oz," Baum said.

So there was Oz. After that, Baum finished the story and it has, as you can obviously see, become a world-wide favorite and success. And when you get the chance, read the story!