1. OK, so everyone probably knows this, but we need to get it out of the way: Lemony Snicket isn't a real person. The author's name is actually Daniel Handler.
2. And Handler's pen name has a slightly bizarre origin story.
3. The series' thirteen books have sold over 65 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 different languages.
4. Handler wasn't originally thrilled by the idea of writing books for children.
5. Handler only agreed to write for children when he was challenged to write the book he wished he could have read when he was 10.
6. ~Unlucky~ number 13 plays a huge role in the series.
7. There are a few spin-offs to the series, if you're ready to read into the mystery a little bit deeper...
8. And then there's All The Wrong Questions, a newer series telling the story of Lemony Snicket's childhood as an apprentice at VFD.
9. Handler found inspiration for A Series of Unfortunate Events in the works of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey.
10. Daniel Handler's ideal casting choice for Count Olaf would be the late James Mason, circa 1949.
11. Many of the names of characters and places in the series are literary allusions.
12. Similarly, most of Sunny's seemingly incoherent ramblings are actually often references to pop culture.
13. It's no accident that there are very few physical descriptions of Violet throughout the series.
14. There's a fan theory that all the adults in the series are actually immortal.
15. Another fan theory – one which is widely accepted as canon, though never confirmed in the series – is that the Baudelaire orphans' parents killed Count Olaf's parents.
16. Speaking of the opera, there's a reason why there are so many mentions of the opera throughout the series.
17. At its most popular, A Series of Unfortunate Events held seven of the top ten spots on the New York Times children's bestsellers list.
18. And Handler has gone on record saying that anyone who wants answers to any questions they have about the series "shouldn't hold their breath".
