15 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Hamilton: An American Musical

Ending this list right where it all began, Lin-Manuel Miranda first came up with the idea for a Hamilton rap mash-up after reading Ron Chernow's biography, "Alexander Hamilton." Miranda had found it whilst on holiday, idly looking for something to read. As Miranda put it: "It could have been Truman." He had just finished up the run of his last musical, In The Heights, which he wrote the music for and starred in, and was getting some much-needed rest.

Apparently, all he could think whilst reading the book was how much Hamilton fit with the hip-hop culture of modern America. Feeling a deep affinity for Alexander's passion, drive and intensity, Miranda got to work on the first track as quick as he could, starting with making sure no one else had made a hip-hop musical about the Founding Father. No one had.

As a bonus fact, though, it should be noted that a play about Alexander Hamilton had previously been made for the stage. Premiering in 1917, it was written by George Arliss, who also starred in the title role, and followed Hamilton as he came up with a new economic structure for America. The play was made into a film in 1931, again starred Arliss.

Both were well received at the time. But it wasn't until Lin-Manuel Miranda picked up Ron Cherow's book and began to write some songs that the story of Alexander Hamilton captured the attention of audiences worldwide. It doesn't get much cooler than that.