Ted Rall was born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1963; raised in Kettering, Ohio, and graduated from high school in 1981. His first cartoons were published in the Kettering-Oakwood Times in 1980. In 1984, Rall was expelled from Columbia Engineering for "disciplinary and academic reasons." In 1991, Rall's cartoons were signed for national syndication by Chronicle Features. His cartoons now appear in nearly 100 publications. Rall completed a graphic novel, The Worst Thing I've Ever Done!, which was published in July 1996. The 64-page comic book collects real-life stories of people's worst deeds in comic form.