Facts About Robert Burns

After Queen Victoria and Christopher Columbus, Robert Burns has more statues dedicated to him around the world than any other non-religious figure.

American music legend, Bob Dylan, said that his greatest-ever source of inspiration was Burns' A Red, Red Rose.

J.D. Salinger’s 1951 novel, 'The Catcher in the Rye' based its title on the Robert Burns poem, 'Comin’ Thro’ the Rye'.

The Australian town of Camperdown is believed to be the home of the oldest existing statue of Burns anywhere in the world. Carved in 1830, the statue was shipped to Australia during the 1850s.

Although best known as a poet, Burns actually wrote and collected almost double the amount of songs than poems.

Auld Lang Syne is actually a song of friendship in China. Known as You Yi Di Jiu Tian Chang – or, Friendship Forever and Ever – the song is played at graduations and other formal gatherings.

John Steinbeck’s classic 1937 novel, 'Of Mice and Men' took its name from a line in the Burns poem To a Mouse – “The best laid schemes o’ mice an men / Gang aft agley”.

The city of Atlanta, Georgia, is home to a life-sized replica of the Alloway cottage that Burns was born in. It was built by the Burns Club of Atlanta in 1911.

'Is There For Honest Poverty' (also known as 'A Man’s a Man for a’ That') was chosen to open the new Scottish Parliament in 1999 due to its themes of equality and universal brotherhood.

'Auld Lang Syne' is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the top three most popular songs in the entire English language.

American fashion designer, Tommy Hilfiger, claims to be a direct descendant of Robert Burns.

Glasgow’s Mitchell Library is believed to house the world’s largest Burns collection, including translations of the poet’s work into more than 30 languages.

In 2009, Robert Burns became the first-ever person to appear on a commemorative bottle of Coca Cola.

A book of Burns' poetry was carried into space by astronaut, Nick Patrick, during a two-week space mission in 2010. The book completed a 5.7-million-mile trip, managing 217 orbits of the Earth.

American President, Abraham Lincoln, had a lifelong admiration for the work of Robert Burns, with some claiming that the poet’s work had a key role in helping Lincoln win the American Civil War and abolish slavery.

The town of Mosgiel, in New Zealand, was named after Robert Burns' farm in Ayrshire.

The work of Robert Burns has appeared in hundreds of films and TV programmes, including Hollywood classics like 'It’s a Wonderful Life' (1946), 'When Harry Met Sally' (1989) and 'Forrest Gump' (1994).

Burns fathered at least 12 children during his short lifetime. His youngest son, Maxwell, was actually born on the day of Burns' funeral.

Burns’ body was exhumed in 1815 to be placed in a new mausoleum in the town of Dumfries. During this process, a plaster cast of his skull was taken for study, which was found to be larger than the average man’s skull.