One great story-line, two producers, three writers, five main characters and 10 long years along with hundreds of crew members pretty much sum up what The Big Bang Theory is all about. There were ups and downs during the last 10 years, but the show continued to grow at a great pace and managed to create a huge audience base. Fans claim that they know everything about this beautiful show; however, there are many facts that most of them are unaware of. Here are 16 such Big Bang Theory facts that will completely blow your mind!

Very few people know that Johnny Galecki was originally approached to play Sheldon, but felt that he would be better fit to play the role of Leonard. Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, is a huge “Star Trek” fan, however he has never seen a single episode in real life! Mayim Bialik joined the show during season three, but her appearance was foreshadowed in the first season when Raj, Leonard and Howard think of people to replace Sheldon on their physics team and Raj says “You know who’s apparently very smart, is the girl who played TV’s Blossom. She got a PhD in neuroscience or something.” Most of the times, Leonard has no lenses in his glasses! Mayim Bialik earned her doctorate in 2008 and is the only actor from the show with a terminal degree. Kevin Sussman, who plays Stuart Bloom, our favorite comic book store owner actually worked in a comic book store before becoming an actor. Johnny Galecki is a fan of on-screen romance: Leonard become a couple on the show with Kaley Cuoco’s Penny, but in a 2010 interview, Cuoco revealed that the two actually dated in real life during the first few seasons. However they split after two years. Coincidentally he also dated Sara Gilbert (Leslie Winkle) during his time on “Roseanne,” where they too were on-screen love interests. The character names are based on actual people. Howard Wolowitz is someone the creator once worked on the computers with. Leonard and Sheldon are named after legendary television producer Sheldon Leonard. Leonard’s last name is after two well-known scientists, Douglas and Robert Hofstadter. The show’s leading ladies suffered through some real-life injuries while filming although the producers hid them well from fans. Cuoco broke her leg while horseback riding during season four. She performed her scenes while standing behind a counter. After a car accident during season six, Mayim Bialik had to hide an injured right hand during filming of the episodes. ‘Soft Kitty’ is the only song that can help Sheldon feel better on the rare occasions he is ill, but did you know that the song is not made up for the show? It dates back to the 1930s, and was titled ‘Warm Kitty’ by Edith Newlin. Producer Bill Prady revealed that his daughter sang ‘Soft Kitty’ while at pre-school. Singer and actress Kate Micucci eventually joined the cast as Raj’s timid girlfriend Lucy but she originally auditioned for Amy Farrah Fowler. Although she wasn’t quite right for Sheldon’s partner in awkward love, the producers kept her on the list for future parts and she returned as Raj’s girlfriend Lucy. Raj’s inability to talk to women except when drunk is inspired from an old co-worker of executive producer Bill Prady when he worked at a computer company.

Although Sheldon does not drive, Jim Parsons gets motion sickness while riding in cars and prefers to drive them. With increasing ratings, the show received a two-year renewal through the 2010–2011 season in 2009 and in 2011, the show was picked up for three more seasons. In March 2014 it was renewed again for three more years through the 2016–17 season. Hence the series will at least reach 10 seasons marking the second time the series has gained a three-year renewal. For the first three seasons the three main stars of the show, received at most $60,000 per episode which went up to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season. Their per-episode pay went up an additional $50,000 in each of the following three seasons, culminating to $350,000 per episode in the seventh season. By season seven, they were also receiving 0.25 point of the series’ backend money. One of the second last Big Bang Theory facts is that Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper wears numerous shirts containing the number 73. This is also the year Jim was born in real life 1973, and Cooper repeatedly states that 73 is his favorite number. Out of the main male cast-members, Howard is the only one who hasn’t seen Penny naked in person despite being the first to flirt with her.

Also Read: 7 Funniest Episodes of The Big Bang Theory

Awesome right? Are there any other Big Bang Theory facts that you think should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.