Ian Fleming created James Bond series

It is the birthday of English writer Ian Fleming (1908), creator of the James Bond spy novel series. Fleming drew on his experiences as a naval intelligence officer during World War II to create the Bond character, a British Secret Service agent known as 007. Fleming said his character was a composite of several agents he knew during his intelligence career. He took the name from the American bird expert who wrote Birds of the West Indies (1936). Fleming wrote the series while on vacation at his own Jamaican estate. The first was Casino Royale (1952). Fleming wrote 12 Bond novels and two short-story collections. His last two books, The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966), were published after his death. Several writers have continued the James Bond franchise, including Sebastian Faulks [Devil May Care (2008)] and Jeffery Deaver [Carte Blanche (2011)]. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (1964).