Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, PhD. has lived quite the life during this tenure in The Big Bang Theory. As the so-called "Kirk" of the group, he has had the honor of being both a leader and voice of reason for a cast of socially inept and quirky characters.
Though the series is about people of science learning about the world, there are still plenty of missed details surrounding the main characters themselves, even a beloved character like Leonard. Though he is arguably the series' lead, there are bound to be some things about him that even most, diehard fans won't catch.
He's Responsible For Destroying The Elevator
For fans that aren't able to catch every episode, Leonard is responsible for one of the series' biggest mysteries: What happened to the elevator? This is explained in Leonard and Sheldon's backstory in the appropriately named "The Staircase Implementation."
This episode reveals that, in addition to possibly leaking information to a North Korean spy, Leonard almost killed himself with a faulty, rocket fuel experiment. Sheldon ends up saving the day by quickly leaving the rocket fuel canister in the apartment's elevator, saving Leonard's life while destroying the elevator.
He And Sheldon Are Named After Classic Producer And Actor, Sheldon Leonard
While Sheldon and Leonard may be famous as scientists, they are honorably named after one of Hollywood's staple workers, Sheldon Leonard. As an actor, Sheldon Leonard was famous for his role on the radio show "The Jack Benny Program" and for playing various gangster characters.
However, he's most famous among the Hollywood walks as an influential producer who helped bring shows like The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and I Spy to life. On top of honoring Leonard Nimoy and Stan Lee, Leonard and Sheldon are also, unconsciously honoring one of television's biggest producers.
His Middle Name Is "Leakey"
Leonard is already incredibly insecure about his body and well-being, and he's made it known that he's not too fond of his name either. He's even gone on to say that he dislikes the name "Leonard" because it has the word "nerd" in it. However, if there was any part of his name that he was especially ashamed of, it would be his middle name: Leakey.
As Sheldon revealed in "The Middle Earth Paradigm," Leonard's full name is actually Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, and he got his middle name from one of his father's colleagues and real-life anthropologist, Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey. Given that he was probably ridiculed for it by school bullies, it's easy to see why Leonard never mentions his name in the series.
His Glasses Don't Have Lenses
This shouldn't be a surprise for some people who have caught Leonard's actor, Johnny Galecki, in other pieces of media. Unlike Leonard, Johnny doesn't need glasses, so his character on screen is actually wearing frames without lenses. If people watch closely enough, they'll be able to catch that there's no glass there.
Given that glasses are one of Leonard's biggest insecurities and a running conflict on the show, Johnny certainly wears them convincingly and, when the moment calls for it, can do a pretty good impression of Velma Dinkley looking for her glasses.
He Was 24 When He Got His PhD
While the characters on screen are supposed to be understandably smart, it can be easy to miss just how exceptional they really are (with the exception of Sheldon, who makes how exceptional he is very obvious). In Leonard's case, while he never quite won that Nobel Prize, he was surprisingly able to graduate from Princeton University with a Ph.D. at the age of 24.
Even discounting the difficulty of studying physics, it takes many students more than 8 years to get their doctorate, with many managing to get their degree in either their late 20's or early 30's at the earliest. Leonard clearly doesn't get enough credit for his work.
He's Dated The Most Girls Out Of The Group
As inspirational as it has been to see Leonard finally start dating Penny, he's clearly no, romantic expert. However, among his personal, circle of friends, he's the relative genius having had five girlfriends, the most out of anyone in the group (as far as it has been revealed in the show). Just behind him is Howard who's dated about three girls, including Bernadette.
However, Leonard personally has dated Joyce Kim, Leslie Winkle, Stephanie Barnett, and Priya Koothrappali and, of course, married Penny. That's on top of having a long albeit short-lived list of dates before getting to Penny. And, even then, it took him a few tries to propose to her.
Johnny Galecki Was Supposed To Play Sheldon
Jim Parsons has become iconic for his eclectic role as Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Given his erratic energy and strong demeanor, it's truly hard to envision anyone else yelling "Bazinga" in the show.
However, in the series' early days, there was a time when Leonard actor, Johnny Galecki, was supposed to play Sheldon. While Galecki obviously opted to play Leonard, it's weird thinking that there's a world where the group's Frodo Baggins is sitting on the far side of the couch.
Leonard's IQ Is 173
While it's not explicitly stated in the series, Leonard does state in the first episode that Sheldon's and his combined IQ equals 360. Sheldon, hardly one to maintain a poker face, has publicly stated that his IQ is 187.
Doing the math here means that Leonard's IQ has to be 173. Though he often plays second fiddle (or rather second cello) to Sheldon, Leonard is still one of the most intelligent characters in The Big Bang Theory.
He's Not The Shortest Member Of The Group
It's a bit of a running gag throughout The Big Bang Theory to make fun of Leonard for his height. Though he's one of the best-dressed characters on The Big Bang Theory, Leonard has drawn a lot of attention to his various biological shortcomings, such as his asthma, sight, and strength, though his biggest worry is how short he is.
Even if he didn't draw attention to it, Sheldon and the rest have constantly made fun of him for it and wrongly so. Despite the gag focusing on Leonard, he's not actually the shortest member of the group. Howard is. Leonard is around 5 ft. 5 in. while Howard is around 5 ft. 4 in.
Johnny Galecki And Kaley Cuoco Dated In Real Life
While fans were enjoying seeing Leonard and Penny start a romance on television, their respective actors apparently had a fling in real life.
Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco had their television romance come to life for about two years during the show's early run. And, much like a lot of iconic television romances, their relationship didn't last long. However, the two are still close friends today well after the show ended.