An interesting fact is that Beethoven did not know until he was in his 30s that he had been born in 1770. He thought he had been born in 1772. This is because his father, anxious to have a child prodigy who might gain fame and fortune comparable to Mozart's, told everyone that his son Ludwig was two years younger than he actually was, in hopes that they would be even more impressed with his keyboard abilities.

Of course, once you've passed the age of 200, a two-year difference doesn't look like much.