Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park Illinois. He attended River Forest High School were he developed an interest in journalism. Hemingway volunteered to be an ambulance driver for the Italians and was wounded by mortar fire. he spent six months in a hospital recovering.
Hemingway was acclaimed for his powerful storytelling and his larger-than-life exploits. From bullfighting to big-game hunting, Hemingway pursued many interests and incorporated his experiences into evocative and unusual stories. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), for example, was written after he witnessed the Spanish Civil War; while A Farewell to Arms (1929) reflects Hemingway's experiences in World War I.