Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Bram Stoker was educated to be a clerk, but his love of the arts (and his intense admiration of Henry Irving, the actor) led him to become the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London. (Source)
Bram Stoker wasn't a healthy kid—he wasn't even able to stand up on his own until he was seven years old. Fortunately for the literary world, all that down time as a kid gave him plenty of time to read, and that's when he developed his love of literature. (Source)
Bram Stoker once witnessed a man falling into the River Thames in London. He rushed to the man's rescue and carried him to his own home, which was nearby. The man ended up dying on Stoker's kitchen table. Stoker's wife, Florence, was pretty irritated by the episode. (Source)
Bram Stoker married Florence Balcombe, who had previously been engaged to the author Oscar Wilde. It was as though Florence couldn't make up her mind which Irish writer she wanted to marry! But she settled on Stoker and they had one child, named Noel. (Source)