Shakespeare is and was this super-duper famous dude, so we definitely know everything about him right? Yeah, turns out we don't know anything about him. We know when a William Shakespeare was baptized, but can't even guarantee it's the same William Shakespeare. Pretty much everything we know about him is based on the smallest amounts of evidence.
2. He and His Team Tore Down and Moved Their Entire Theater
There were three Globe theaters total before the Puritans made life awful and ended it. Due to a dispute between the builder of the first one and its landlord, Shakespeare and company had to tear down and relocate the entire structure while the landlord was away for Christmas.
3. We probably Spell Shakespeare's Name Wrong
Shakespeare's signatures never had the exact spelling that we think of nowadays, and other people referred to him with over eighty different similar names. People currently believe parts of it mean "brandish" and "spear" and refer to someone who is very confrontational.
4. Shakespeare Wrote his Own Epigraph
Shakespeare is buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, his hometown, and he left an epigraph that cursed anyone messing with his bones. Surprisingly, it's worked so far, and no one has disturbed it. Here's the epigraph.
5. Shakespeare was a Good Businessman
Unsurprisingly, Shakespeare made some serious moo-lah from his plays. Surprisingly, he didn't blow all of it. He apparently owned a large amount of property, and even formed a joint-stock company with his actors so that he would make more money from his plays.
6. Shakespeare Invented Swag(ger)
Hate everything modern? Yeah, you can blame swag on Shakespeare. The first time swagger appeared was in Henry V, and it became shorter with time.
7. Shakespeare is Technically Responsible for an Airplane Crash
A long time ago, a Shakespeare fanatic named Eugene Scheffelin brought every bird that happened to in Shakespeare's plays to Central Park, and when a plane tried to take off, it flew into a cloud of them and crashed. So it's at least partially attributable to Shakespeare.
8. Shakespeare's Wife was Pregnant When he Married Her
Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, was in a definite hurry to get married, as she was 3 months into her preganancy when the wedding happened. Shakespeare had to be scandalous in every way didn't he?
9. Shakespeare was Nearly Arrested
Even though his plays probably faced some legal issues occasionally, Shakespeare got in trouble for more than that. He apparently traded in wool and, even though he wrote The Merchant of Venice, he also lent out money illegally.
10. One of his Relatives was Executed
One of Shakespeare's relatives, William Arden, was arrested for plotting against the queen, thrown in the Tower of London for a while, then executed. Apparently scandal runs in his blood.
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