Beauty and the Beast was published as La Belle et la Bête in 1740 in France by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

The most popular version came from Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756. Most modern retellings are based on this version.

It was originally written to appeal to women in arranged marriages, as Beauty is forced to live with — and eventually love — a monster she did not want to marry.

In many early tellings of Beauty and the Beast, the Beast does not have a name. The famous Disney version gave him the name Prince Adam.

In the Disney version, Belle’s father is an inventor. In other versions, he is typically a merchant.

The Disney adaptation became the first animated film ever nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.

The magical rose was invented by Disney and does not appear in earlier versions. Characters like Lumière, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts were also original to the Disney adaptation.

Beauty and the Beast served as one of the inspirations for The Phantom of the Opera.

The heroine Beauty is sometimes called Belle in modern versions because, in French, she is “La Belle,” which means “the beautiful one.”

The Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche is very similar to the Beauty and the Beast story.

The story is sometimes considered a reverse Cinderella, as Beauty starts out as a wealthy girl whose fortunes are reversed.

In the original story, the Beast was cursed by a fairy for refusing her. In other retellings, he is cursed for arrogance or cruelty.

Beauty and the Beast is often cited as a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome.

China has a similar story to Beauty and the Beast called The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale, and in Norway, the tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon shares many similarities.

In some early versions, Beauty was portrayed as being half-human, half-fairy.

The Beast wasn’t always a furry monster. In many older versions, he was described as a serpent, dragon, or another creature.

In some versions, Beauty is offered a life of riches, money, and luxury — but she chooses love instead.

In some versions, the Beast dies but is revived by a kiss.

Japan actually created an animated version of Beauty and the Beast in 1978, predating the Disney adaptation.