Alright, alright. So, we don't actually have 95 -- although that number is significant to Luther scholars for other reasons. Take a virtual reality tour through Wittenberg, Germany.
1. The most famous scene depicting the Reformation — namely Luther nailing 95 theses to a church door — might never have occurred. Luther never said so, and the university colleague who did waited until after Luther's death.
2. He liked his beer, writing, "Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin."
3. Luther disdained people who didn't appreciate music, which he considered a gift of God. "A person who does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs!"
4. The former monk never planned to create a new religion, but to reform the Roman Catholic Church of its corruption.
5. Martin Luther's name at birth was Martin Luder. He reportedly changed it later in life to sound more academic.
6. Luther married a former nun, Katharina von Bora.
7. Von Bora was among a group of nuns who reportedly fled their convent by hiding in an empty barrels. They sought protection in Wittenberg.
8. Luther was a master of insults, among them: "I would not smell the foul odor of your name."
9. Luther spent considerable time contemplating on the toilet, suffering from lifelong constipation – something mentioned frequently in Luther biographies.
10. The old city wall in Wittenberg ran behind Luther's house, and probably inspired his most well-known hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."
11. Luther promoted education, including for girls, an unusual thing to do at the time.
12. Luther had planned to be a lawyer, and was studying to be one before a sudden religious conversion.
13. Luther's followers were called "Protestants" or "those who protested" and broke away from the Catholic church.
14. Thousands of Protestant denominations have emerged around the globe over the past 500 years, some large and influential, most far smaller. Below, see how Lutheranism evolved.
15. Luther helped democratize religion. He translated the Bible into German, allowing people to read it themselves rather than rely on religious authority for interpretation.
16. Luther's reformation had perfect timing. It coincided with the rise of the printing press, making his arguments known across Europe.
17. Luther was a vocal anti-Semite, writing pamphlets such as "On Jews and Their Lies."
18. The Reformation and its turmoil had lasting impact on politics in Europe, which began dividing along religious lines.
19. There are 72 million Lutherans across the globe today. Among the top 10 countries with the largest numbers are Germany, the United States, Sweden, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
20. Germany is predicting that up to a half million tourists will visit the sites where Luther lived and preached during next year's 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
