Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven's father was set on creating a prodigy and beat music into Ludwig, forcing him to practice day and night.

Beethoven gave his first concert at age seven.

Having left school at age eleven to help with household income, Beethoven never learned how to multiply or divide.

For a time, Beethoven took lessons from Joseph Haydn. The two often got frustrated and ultimately didn't like each other very much.

Beethoven started to go deaf when he was only 25 years old.

All of Beethoven's symphonies have four movements.

The opening of his Fifth Symphony was described by Beethoven as "death knocking upon the door."

Due to class issues, Beethoven never married.

Beethoven was entirely deaf by the time he wrote his Ninth Symphony, one of his greatest works. 

Although his Moonlight Sonata is enormously popular, Beethoven considered it inferior to many of his other works.

A musical revolutionary in his day, many of Beethoven's compositions were radical departures from common standards.

Beethoven is generally considered to be the first composer of the Romantic period.

Beethoven was notoriously messy, ill-tempered and irritable.

Beethoven died during a thunderstorm.

The third largest crater on Mercury is named in Beethoven's honor, as is the main-belt asteroid, 1815 Beethoven.