Happy birthday, Tintin! Yes, it is our favourite comic book character, Tintin’s birthday. The iconic comic book character turned 92 today, January 10, 2021. The Belgian reporter was created by cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi, who was better known by his pen name HergĂ©. Once only famous primarily in European countries, Hergé’s comics eventually conquered the world. Most have of us have grown up reading The Adventures of Tintin, and thanks to the adaptations of radio, television, theatre and films, the comic book character became everyone’s favourite, inspire many to become a reporter. He truly inspired us to dream big. There are so many fascinating facts about the Belgian reporter. Did you know that Tintin visited the moon, long before Neil Armstrong? To celebrate Tintin’s birthday, here are seven interesting facts about the iconic character.

1. The first Tintin comic book, ‘Tintin in the Land of Soviets,’ was published in 1930, introducing readers for the first time to the loyal white fox terrier Snowy, Captain Haddock and absent-minded Professor Calculus. The comics have been published in over 70 languages.

2. Tintin visited the moon long before Neil Armstrong. The story of ‘Explorers on the Moon’ is a result of Hergé’s extensive research to the possibility of humans visiting the moon. Between 1952 and 1953, the story of Tintin’s lunar adventure was released in weekly instalments in Tintin Magazine. It took humanity 15 more years to set foot on the moon finally.

3. Tintin’s dog Snowy stole many hearts. He is Tintin’s sidekick and at times, his saviour. Snowy is very brave, just like Tintin. The adorable dog would lick Tintin’s face to wake him up when danger is coming. His popularity even allowed him to make cameo appearances in famous shows, such as The Simpsons and South Park.

4. George Remi described the countries in The Adventures of Tintin vividly; he never visited them before creating the albums. It was in 1971, when he and his wife decided to travel to the United States and later to Taiwan, but never to visited Congo or the Soviet Union.

5. HergĂ© made cameo appearances too in all the comics and onscreen. If you couldn’t spot him yet, maybe it is time to revisit the comics and relive the good old memories.

6. Tintin universe is an all-men universe. The protagonist and all his friends, are men, except for the opera singer Bianca Castafiore.

7. In the original version of the Tintin comic, which was written in French, Tintin’s dog name was Milou. It was a tribute to Hergé’s first girlfriend, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem, whom he fondly called Milou.

There you go! Now that you know these many facts about Tintin, share them with your friends too. It is a perfect revisiting moment for most of us, who just adored Tintin comics during childhood, and even now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2021 01:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).