Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge didn't see his son Derwent for a period of eight years (between 1812 and 1820) (Source.)
By the time he reached the age of 70, Derwent Coleridge could speak 14 languages! Maybe his dad's poem paid off, after all. (Source.)
When he was a young man in 1793, Coleridge had debts amounting to about 150 pounds! That's a lot of dough, nearly enough to live comfortably with a family for about a year. His debts were the result of opium, alcohol, and women. Yikes. (Source.)
To pay for some of his debts, Coleridge joined the army and used the fake name Silas Tomkyn Comberbache. (Almost as much of a mouthful as this poem…) Eventually he was discharged by reason of insanity (which was entirely false). What a life this guy led. (Source.)