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

Having just been released to the public on Disney Plus, Hamilton is undoubtedly set to become bigger than ever. Premiering on stage in early 2015, Hamilton received a crazy level of praise and ticket sales. In fact, before it even opened it was reported to have made $30 million, and for the vast majority of its run it was completely sold out. To add to this great success, the Original Broadway cast album was released in late 2015 and won a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

By now, it's likely that most people have seen it on Disney Plus. Some of you may have been lucky enough to see it live. The lyrics, the performances, the emotional intensity and Lin-Manuel Miranda's electrifying commitment and passion have made Hamilton a cultural icon, and the kind of spectacle everyone needs to see.

But what kind of things didn't we get to hear about in the show itself? Where did the idea come from? What kind of obscure references were thrown into the songs? What was it actually like performing it? The following list will take you on a journey through 20 of the most amazing, wonderful facts and little details of the hit show. Hopefully, this will tide you over as you prepare to watch it for the twelfth time, and let you see things through fresh eyes.

From origins to casts to stage design, let's do this.

Hamilton was an incredible success - bigger than many thought it would be, including Lin-Manuel Miranda. Because the show was a popular commodity during its Broadway run, Miranda realised how many people would actually miss out on seeing it, so he put together a lottery which would take place two hours before the show, to give away some front row seats and standing tickets to those who otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to get in.

The lottery proved to be a show unto itself. Miranda, not a man who does things halfheartedly, used the opportunity to personally entertain everyone that turned up. Hosted outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre, Miranda used the time to do a number of incredible things for his fans, including performing duets with Broadway star Lea Salonga, answering audience questions with just lyrics from Les Miserables, and hosted a competition to see which fan could best pull off Lafayette's "Guns and Ships" rap.

The lottery ran for a while, but had to go digital when the crowds on West 46th Street got too large and messed with the traffic. The show officially ended in late-2016, but the online lottery was turned into a mobile app, allowing people to win tickets for various touring productions of the musical.

And to think the cast did the lottery, then performed a near-three hour show to perfection; that's commitment to the art, and the fans.