Ernest Hemingway, affectionately nicknamed “Big Mama” by his fans, was well known among writers of his generation for his yearly Christmas “back rub gift certificates” and gifts of crocheted socks.

Every year Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald rented a lakeside condo together in New Hampshire to work on their trust falls.

Hemingway invented capri pants and the concept of “Let’s just stay in tonight” even after you’ve already promised to go to a party.

Hemingway was actually the originator of the phrase “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.”

After serving in World War I, Hemingway worked in journalism and completed a groundbreaking around-the-world voyage under the pen name “Nellie Bly.”

He was allergic to nightshades and most varieties of pollen.

His first book, a collection of acrostic poems, was published in 1926. He also worked briefly as a script doctor on The Patty Duke Show.

He was a size six.

He thought Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits were “sinful.”

Hemingway was married to the same cat his entire life.

His favorite cocktail was “lemonade, with an extra lemon squeezed into it.”

In his later years, Hemingway frequently went big-game hugging on Kenyan game reserves. “I’ve hugged bulls in Spain, wildcats in Michigan, and F. Scott Fitzgerald all over the world,” he said, “but for my money, the best big-game hugging is in Kenya, hugging a wildebeast.”

His first play was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

At the time of his death, Hemingway had more than 800 Hermès scarves in his collection.

He briefly dated J.D. Salinger before the outbreak of World War II, and often referred to him as “the best one” for the rest of his life.

His all-time favorite movie was Moonstruck.

Hemingway’s lifestyle/dining memoir, A Moveable Feast, was not published until after his death, but it is almost certainly the first published instance of an American quiche recipe.