Jerry Siegel

His parents were both Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York in 1900, having fled antisemitism in their native Lithuania.

His father was born Mikhel Iankel Segalovich and his mother was born Sora Meita Khaikels, but they changed their names to Michael and Sarah Siegel after moving to the US.

Jerry was the last of six children (Isabel, Leo, Minerva, Roslyn, and Harry).

His father was a tailor and owned a clothing store.

Jerome Siegel (October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) was an American comic book writer.

He is the co-creator of Superman, in collaboration with his friend Joe Shuster, published by DC Comics.

They also created Doctor Occult, who was later featured in The Books of Magic.

Jerry Siegel was born on October 17, 1914, in Cleveland, Ohio, to a Jewish family.

Siegel's family moved to the Jewish neighborhood of Glenville in 1928.

He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio.

At about age 16, while at Glenville, he befriended Joe Shuster.

Siegel described his friendship with the similarly shy and bespectacled Shuster: "When Joe and I first met, it was like the right chemicals coming together."

They shared a love of science fiction, adventure fiction, and movies.

Siegel created ten of the earliest members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, one of DC's most popular team books, which is set in the 30th Century.

Siegel also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter and Jerry Ess.

On June 2, 1932, Jerry's father was assaulted in his store by a shoplifter and suffered a fatal heart attack.

Siegel and Shuster had been developing the Superman story and character since 1933, hoping to sell it as a syndicated newspaper comic-strip.

But after years of fruitless soliciting to the syndicates, Siegel and Shuster agreed to publish Superman in a comic book.

Siegel graduated from high school in June 1934.

Unable to afford college, he worked various delivery jobs, all the while courting publishers.

In the summer of 1935, still living in Cleveland, he and Shuster began selling comic-book stories to National Allied Publications, the primary precursor of DC Comics, in New York.

In March 1938, they sold all rights to Superman to the comic-book publisher Detective Comics, Inc., another forerunner of DC, for $130 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Siegel and Shuster later regretted their decision to sell Superman after he became an astonishing success.

DC Comics now owned the character and reaped the royalties.

Nevertheless, DC Comics retained Siegel and Shuster as the principal writer and artist for the Superman comics, and they were well-paid because they were popular with the readers.

Jerry's mother died of a heart attack on August 17, 1941.

For instance, in 1942 they together earned $63,776.46.

Siegel bought a house in University Heights and a car.

Siegel was conscripted into the United States Army on June 28, 1943.

His service number was 35067731.

He was trained at Fort George G. Meade, where he was trained as an "Airplane Engine Mechanic, a Film Editor, Motion Picture Cutter, Public Relations Man or Playwright (Motion Picture Writer) or Reporter".

He was posted in Honolulu, where he was assigned a writing job at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

He focused mainly on comedy columns.

Siegel was discharged on January 21, 1946, at the rank of Technician 4th Grade.

During his military service in Hawaii, Siegel learned from his friend Shuster that DC Comics had published a story featuring a child version of Superman called "Superboy", which was based on a story that Siegel had submitted to DC Comics, but which DC Comics hadn't bought.

Because DC Comics never bought the copyright to Superboy from Siegel, Siegel sued DC Comics for the rights.

A second claim they had was that DC had cheated them out of royalties from the Superman radio show and the merchandise.

Siegel and Shuster simultaneously sued for the rights to Superman as well.

Siegel and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.

With Bernard Baily, Siegel also co-created the long-running DC character The Spectre.