Dodgson came up with the concept for the story while on a boating trip with the Liddells—the children of his boss, Henry Liddell. Alice herself is based on Alice Liddell, Henry’s 10-year-old daughter.

Like many writers of the time, Lewis Carroll was frustrated by good ideas that came to him in the dead of night. So, in 1891, he invented a device called the nyctograph – a card with 16 square holes that offer a guide for the writer to jot down their ideas in the dark, using a peculiar square alphabet he invented for the purpose.

Oh, and he was left-handed, in case you’re wondering what possible reason there is for us to make him combo with fellow southpaws Leonardo da Vinci and Neil Armstrong!