Here's a brief timeline of his life:
* Early life: Dahl was born in 1916 and grew up in Wales. He attended boarding school and later worked for the Shell Oil Company in Africa.
* World War II: Dahl joined the Royal Air Force during World War II and served as a fighter pilot. He experienced a serious crash and later worked as an intelligence officer.
* Writing: After the war, Dahl started writing short stories, which were published in various magazines. His first children's book, "The Gremlins," was published in 1943.
* Author: His career took off in the 1960s with the publication of "James and the Giant Peach" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." He continued to write popular children's books and short stories for adults until his death in 1990.
So, while Roald Dahl is most well-known as a children's author, he had a very different career path before he became a writer.