[2] He was born in Chaungnadan village in Pyay Township, Pegu Province (now Bago Region), located 170 miles (270 km) north of Rangoon (now Yangon) in 1928.
[3] His mother was mentally ill, while his father and elder brother died when Than Oo was young.
[3] He continued his study at the University of Hawaiʻi, through a scholarship with the East-West Center, and obtained a Master of Education in 1963.
[4] He also served on the academic advisory board of the Myanmar Education Promotion Implementation Committee.
[7] In 2013, the University of Yangon awarded Than Oo an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by for his professional accomplishments.