Walt Disney is a legend, a popular hero of the 20th century. His worldwide popularity was based on his imagination, optimism, creativity and personal success in America. Walt Disney did more than any other person to touch the hearts, minds, and emotions of millions of children and adults. He brought us closer to the future, while telling us about the past. It is certain that there will never be a man as great as Walt Disney. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. Walt was one of five children, four boys and one girl. After Walt was born, the Disney family moved to Marceline, Missouri. Walt lived most of his childhood here. Walt became interested in drawing and art very early on. By the age of seven, he was selling small sketches and drawings to nearby neighbors. His interest in creating lasting art forms took shape when he asked his sister, Ruth, to help him paint the side of the family home with tarmac. Near the Disney Family Farm, there were Santa Fe railroad tracks that ran through the countryside. Often, Walt would put his ear to the railroad tracks to listen for approaching trains. Walt's uncle, Mike Martin, was a railroad engineer. Walt worked a summer job on the railroad, selling newspapers, popcorn and soda to travelers. Walt often tried to recapture the freedom he felt on these trains by building his own model train. Besides his other interests, Walt attended McKinley High School in Chicago. There, Disney divided his attention between drawing and photography, and contributing to the school newspaper. At night, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts to improve his drawing skills. During these years of living in the country, Walt began to love and appreciate nature and wildlife, ...... middle of paper ...... g the quality of urban life in America. He personally led the design of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). It was designed as a living showcase of the creativity of American industry. So, Disney ordered the purchase of 43 square miles of pristine land – twice the size of Manhattan Island – in the center of the state of Florida. Here, his master planned a whole new "Disney World" of entertainment to include a new theme park, a motel-hotel vacation center, and his experimental prototype community of tomorrow. After more than seven years of planning and preparation, including 52 months of actual construction, the Walt Disney World Resort, including Magic Kingdom park, opened to the public as planned on October 1, 1971. The EPCOT Center opened opened on October 1, 1982. and on May 1, 1989, the Disney-MGM Studios theme park opened