American cartoonist Bill Watterson, creator of "Calvin and Hobbes," was born in 1958 in Washington, D.C. He grew up in the Midwest (Ohio, to be exact), which serves

as the setting for his popular comic strip. 

Easily one of the most popular (and well-read) comic strips of the 20th century, "Calvin and Hobbes" made its debut on November 18, 1985 via the Universal

Press Syndicate.  

While there, the popular illustrator studied political science, which was an important—and recurrent—theme in "Calvin and Hobbes."

After graduation, Watterson began his career at the Cincinnati Post, where he worked as a political cartoonist. He was fired after only a few short months. 

Despite losing his job, Watterson continued illustrating. He eventually pitched a strip (which would become "Calvin and Hobbes") to the United Feature Syndicate, the same publisher of Charles

Schulz's "Peanuts" comic. 

Nearly a year after being accepted by the Universal Press Syndicate, "Calvin and Hobbes" was being published by more than 250 newspapers across the country. At the time

Watterson ended the strip, "Calvin and Hobbes" was reaching readers via more than 2,400 papers. 

Calvin, one of the main characters of the popular comic, was named after the famous sixteenth-century theologian, John Calvin.

Born in 1509, John Calvin was a French theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He's best known for creating the theological tradition of Calvinism, which outlines the belief of predestination. 

In theology, the belief of predestination is defined as the idea that "all events have been willed by God," impacting the fate of each human soul. 

Comic Strip-Calvin relates to Watterson in the sense that the character ponders over the same topics that Watterson, himself, does. 

"Calvin reflects my adulthood more than my childhood," Watterson

wrote. So, it's no surprise that the comic strip tackles more "adult-like" themes, rather than ideas that might be better suited for children. 

Hobbes, Calvin's beloved tiger friend, is named for the famous seventeenth-century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. 

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher born in 1588. He's best known for his contribution toward the better understanding of modern political philosophy, as well as for writing "Leviathan," which offered the

origins of the social contract theory. 

Essentially a government theory, the social contract is defined as a "voluntary agreement among individuals [and] organized society ... with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or

to regulate the relations among its members."

Watterson describes Hobbes as "good-natured, intelligent, friendly, and enthusiastic." But most importantly, he wanted Hobbes to embody that of a good friend.

"Like Calvin, I often prefer the company of animals

to people, and Hobbes is my idea of an ideal friend," Watterson wrote. 

"I don’t think of Hobbes as a doll that miraculously comes to life when Calvin’s around. Neither do I think of Hobbes as the product of Calvin’s imagination,"

target="_blank">Watterson wrote. "Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way. I show two versions of reality, and each makes complete sense to the participant who sees

it. I think that’s how life works."

Watterson believed that, rather than just serve as entertainment, a comic strip could speak to a wide population and ignite critical conversation.

"[W]e seem to have forgotten that a comic strip

can be something more than a launch pad for a glut of derivative products," Watterson wrote as an the introduction to a Krazy Kat collection. "When the comic strip is

not exploited, the medium can be a vehicle for beautiful artwork and serious, intelligent expression."

As suggested by each character's namesake, Watterson created the popular comic strip to, what might otherwise seem sneakily, discuss larger political and social issues. 

Through the lens of a six-year-old boy and his wise friend, Watterson delivered a beloved comic strip that discussed complex topics like love, happiness, death, as well as "

target="_blank" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 24px; background-color: rgb(247, 246, 244);">the existence of God and the perils of mankind's self-destructive habits."

While the theological doctrine is examined in the strip, Watterson tends to reference it indirectly. And, as Jamey Heit writes in her book, "Imagination and Meaning in Calvin and

Hobbes," there's no clear link made between John Calvin's doctrine and the character: "Even when a particular strip picks up this idea, the context does not make any clear reference

to Calvin's theology."

While Heit believes the topic is discussed in broad scope, Ranker's Genevieve Carlton suggests the young Calvin sees predestination as a "get out of jail free" card. 

Calvin asks Hobbes this very question in an early comic strip from November 30, 1985. Hobbes simply replies: "What a scary thought." This notion suggests Watterson

disagreed that our lives are, essentially, pre-planned.

Watterson returns to the topic of predestination in a 1991 strip, in which Calvin, once again, asks Hobbes if a person's fate is controlled by the stars. Hobbes simply

says: "No, I think we can do whatever we want with our lives."

By any standard, the idea of death and its inevitability is a complex subject for a comic strip featuring a boy and his pet. But Watterson made light

of the subject in a 1993 strip, in which Calvin asked Miss Wormwood why they need to learn about integers when they're "all just going to die" sooner

or later.

If you're not studying the strip, you might fail to pick up on some of the comic's deeper meanings. Usually, Hobbes is the character to deliver comments masked in philosophy,

much like his namesake.

In a 1993 comic, Calvin jokingly says that he's made in God's own image. Hobbes just replies: "God must have a goofy sense of humor."

In another philosophical strip, Calvin asks Hobbes why man was put on Earth. Hobbes says: "Tiger food."

To be exact, she's named after the apprentice devil in C.S. Lewis’s "The Screwtape Letters." 

Watterson wrote: "I have a lot of sympathy for Miss Wormwood. We see

hints that she’s waiting to retire, that she smokes too much, and that she takes a lot of medication. I think she seriously believes in the value of education, so

needless to say, she’s an unhappy person."

Two comic strips in particular have been left out of trade paperback collections, including the illustration which depicts Calvin taking a bath in the washing machine. The other?

It discusses Calvin's possible adoption.

There's a fan theory floating around out there in the Internet suggesting the popular Chuck Palahniuk novel is really just an adult version of Watterson's comic strip. The

claim? Hobbes plays the alter-ego, Tyler Durden.

On his official website, Watterson wrote: "I’ve never given Calvin’s parents names, because as far as the strip is concerned, they are important only as Calvin’s mom and

dad."

Watterson on Moe's character: "Moe is every jerk I’ve ever known. He’s big, dumb, ugly, and cruel. I remember school being full of idiots like Moe. I think

they spawn on damp locker room floors."

Watterson on Rosalyn's character: "Her intimidation of Calvin surprised me, so she’s made a few appearances...Rosalyn even seems to daunt Calvin’s parents, using their desperation to get out

of the house to demand advances and raises."

In 1993, one of Watterson's strips discussed the concept of original sin, an idea a bit dark for a child-like character to ponder. First appearing in the writing

of St. Augustine, original sin means that "the tendency to sin is innate in all human beings, held to be inherited from Adam in consequence of the Fall."

In a 1993 strip, Calvin says: "Eventually, we're each going to die, our species will go extinct, the sun will explode, and the universe will collapse." Calvin continues,

saying: "Existence is not only temporary, it's pointless! We're all doomed, and worse, nothing matters!"

In a 1993 strip, Calvin and Hobbes discuss the idea of luck. Calvin says, "Some people are born lucky and some people are born unlucky. Either

way, there's nothing you can do about it. You can't fight luck." 

In a 1993 strip, Calvin and Hobbes ponder what heaven is really like. Calvin asks: "If heaven is good, and I like to be bad, how am I suppose

to be happy there?" Hobbes simply tells Calvin that bad people don't often end up in heaven. So, Calvin replies: "Suppose I led a blameless life! Suppose I denied my

true dark nature!"

In order to watch an R-rated movie, Calvin utilizes philosophy as a tool by citing the Bill of Rights to his dad in this political comic strip.  

Watterson's last strip is an ode to the positive side of philosophy, during which Calvin seems optimistic about the future, fate, and the discovery of new adventures.

In 2012, one of Watterson's original comic strips sold for a whopping $203,150 at auction, which broke the record for the highest amount paid for an original strip. 

The very last "Calvin and Hobbes" strip (show here) was published on December 31, 1995.