I'm not sure if anyone here's really heard of this, but the character Dale Cooper was (strangely) an allusion to a real person:
D.B. Cooper, Wiki
Also, I've never heard of the actual inspiration for the premise, but a rather serendipitous thing occurred today - and I think that maybe, just maybe, I've stumbled across the real life inspiration. In my local newspaper. While watching Twin Peaks with my mother. We're both concerned at how weirdly coincidental my opening the newspaper and the opening credits of Twin Peaks beginning to play worked out.