Fact-checking The Mega-hit Musical 'Hamilton'

A history of “Hamilton”

How “Hamilton” went from a lengthy historical book to a hit Broadway musical:

April 26, 2004: The Penguin Press releases historian Ron Chernow’s 818-page biography of Alexander Hamilton. It becomes a best-seller.

July 2008: While on break from his hit Broadway show “In the Heights,” Lin-Manuel Miranda takes Chernow’s book with him on vacation in Mexico. Inspiration strikes him to set Hamilton’s story to music.

May 12, 2009: Miranda is invited to perform at the “White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word.” Instead of music from “In the Heights,” he performs the first song from his “The Hamilton Mixtape” project – a song that will later become the musical’s opening number.

Jan. 11, 2012: Miranda now has several songs done. He performs them as part of a “Hip-Hop Song Cycle” at the Lincoln Center’ American Songbook series.

July 27, 2013: Miranda performs a workshop production of his work at the Vassar Reading Festival. By this point, he has the entire first act and three songs of the second act done. Three cast members of this workshop production will join the off-Broadway cast a year-and-a-half later.

July 29, 2014: Tickets go on sale for Miranda’s new show – now named just “Hamilton” – to premiere in January, off-Broadway at New York’s Public Theater. Tickets sell quickly. Miranda tweets that he’s “overwhelmed by your response to Hamilton tix on sale.”

Jan. 20, 2015: “Hamilton” premieres at the Public Theater. Its entire engagement sells out. It wins eight Drama Desk awards, including Outstanding Musical.

Aug. 6, 2015: “Hamilton” moves to the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway.

Sept. 25, 2015: The original Broadway cast recording of “Hamilton” is released on CD. It debuts at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 album chart and will peak at No. 3. It will also spend time at No. 1 on the Billboard rap album chart.

Sept. 28, 2015: The MacArthur Foundation names Miranda a “genius grant” fellow.

Feb. 15, 2016: The “Hamilton” cast recording wins a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. While accepting his award, Miranda raps his thank-yous.

April 18, 2016: “Hamilton” wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

May 3, 2016: “Hamilton” is nominated for 16 Tony Awards – the most ever by a single production. At the awards ceremony a month later, “Hamilton” wins 11 Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress.

Oct. 19, 2016: While “Hamilton” still runs to sold-out audiences on Broadway, a Chicago production of “Hamilton” opens at the CIBC Theater. Miguel Cervantes plays Miranda’s role as Hamilton.

March 10, 2017: The first national U.S. tour of “Hamilton” begins at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. A second tour will begin 11 months later.

Nov. 21, 2017: “Hamilton” opens at the Victoria Palace Theater in London. It will go on to win seven Oliver Awards the next year, including Best New Musical.

Jan. 11, 2019: The third U.S. tour of “Hamilton” opens with a three-week engagement in Puerto Rico. Miranda returns in the lead role.

July 3, 2020: Disney+ begins live-streaming “Hamilton” – with its original Broadway principal cast – that had been recorded over two nights in June 2016.