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Before there were silhouettes, there was a Silhouette. And before there was gerrymandering, there was a Gov. Gerry. It's easy to forget that some of the English language's most common words had real-life namesakes in living, breathing people. Like the Edsel, a disastrous car line that has become synonymous with failure. The line was named after Henry Ford's son Edsel (at right here with his dad in 1905 in Detroit) by the company board. Thanks, guys.
Joseph Hooker: Ladies Man
Civil War Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker lent his name to the world's oldest profession because was famously diligent about keeping his troops supplied with female companionship.
Charles Boycott: No Sale
The English army captain and hated land agent for Lord Erne in County Mayo, Ireland, became persona non grata when he attempted to evict 11 tenants -- his neighborhors heeded Charles Parnell's call to ostracize and not do business with people like Boycott, instead of resorting to violence. "Boycott" now means to refuse to do business with someone for political reasons.
Henry Shrapnel: Ouch!
English artillery officer Henry Shrapnel lent his name to deadly fragments of artillery, bomb, and mine shells by inventing the first anti-personnel shrapnel shell.
Vidkun Quisling: No Patriot
Vidkun Quisling betrayed Norway to Nazi Germany and became leader of occupied Norway's collaborationist government, and was executed by firing squad by his countrymen after the war. His very name, quisling, has come to mean "traitor."
Robert Peel: Man With a Badge
British Home Secretary Robert Peel lent both his names to nicknames for police officers -- peelers and bobbies -- after he became responsible for founding the the first formal police forces in history. Here: member of Peel's Irish police force in 1851.
Earl of Sandwich: Take a Bite
John Montagu, the fourth earl of Sandwich, was a notable political and military figure in 18th-century Britain, but he's probably best remembered for being the namesake of the sandwich, which he legendarily had a valet invent for him so he could eat meals while hunched over work at his desk. Here: The earl's descendant, John Montagu, the 11th earl of Sandwich digs in at Disneyland Paris.
Axel Paulsen: Air Norway
Norwegian skater Paulsen performed the first axel jump -- an air jump with a forward takeoff -- in 1882, and now no figureskating competition would be complete without the announcers cooing over triple axels like the one performed in this photo.
Jules Leotard: Tight Fit
French acrobat Jules Leotard didn't just invent the art of the trapeze, he also lent his name to the skin-tight, one-piece outfit that allowed him to keep his limbs free while performing. (He's also the inspiration for the song, "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze." Here: Leotard in 1850.
Guy Fawkes: Hey, Dude
The Catholic conspirator who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605 didn't just give us creepy masks and movies from the makers of The Matrix -- he's also the origin of the use of the word "guy" to mean any random man. Here's how: After Fawkes was thwarted and hanged and quartered, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot became an annual celebration in England. The most popular way to celebrated? By lighting fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes. "Guy" became slang for effigies in general, and then for men wearing unusual clothes, and then just for men in general.
^^^
That one's interesting
William Spooner: Or Was It Spilliam Wooner?
The Anglican clergyman and Dean of New College Oxford, William Archibald Spooner's frequent verbal slip-ups gave rise to the term "spoonerism," in which one switches the parts of two words in a sentence. For example: "The Lord is a shoving leopard" from "The Lord is a loving shepherd."
Earl Of Cardigan: Button Up
James Thomas Brudenell, seventh earl of Cardigan, led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, but we remember him best nowadays because he gave his name to the sweater with buttons down the front.
Amelia Bloomer: Who Wears the Pants Around Here?
American women's-rights activist and magazine editor Amelia Jenks Bloomer picked up and promoted the wearing of loose pants by women over the restrictice dresses and skirts of the period. Her name became associated with the much-ridiculed fashion.
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin: Cuts Like a Knife
Though French physician Joseph Guillotin is often credited with having invented the guillotine, he only suggested that swift decapitation would be more humane, and would quell the public hunger for public executions. His family was so embarrassed that they shared their name with the device that they eventually changed their surname. Another myth -- that Guillotin was executed by the machine that bears his name -- is also false. He died of natural causes.
Rudolf Diesel: The Little Engine That Could
Easy enough to explain: French-born German engineer and inventor Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine in the twilight days of the 19th century. He had nothing, however, to do with overpriced jeans.
Etienne Silhouette: Shadow of a Doubt
French finance minister Etienne Silhouette was an unpopular figure in 18th-century France, and when it became known that he was a fan of the cheap art of cutting out figures of people instead of drawing full portraits, the craft took on his name.
James Watt: Full of Energy
The Scottish inventor, known for his improvements of the steam engine, was honored after his death by having the standard unit of the conversion of energy named after him (1 joule/second). But let's not get into James Prescott Joule.
Isaac Newton: Force of Nature
The British mathematician and scientist and all-around standard for genius is honored today with the naming of the newton, the standard unit of force (the amount of force required to accelerate one kilogram at one meter per second per second).
Ambrose Burnside: Hair Today, Trend Tomorrow
Civil War Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside, defeated at Fredericksburg at the Battle of the Crater, had distinctive facial hair that allegedly was dubbed "burnsides" for him, morphing later into "sideburns."
Louis Braille: Reading Through Fingers
Frenchman Louis Braille invented an alphabet of raised bumps for blind people like himself, and it not surprisingly took his name.
Elbridge Gerry: Crossing (Out) Borders
When Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry redrew the political map of his state to benefit the Democratic-Republican Party in 1812, the Boston Gazette called him on it, publishing a map of the redistricting in which the affected areas were caricatured as a dragon-like salamander. The unnaturally shaped, politically rejiggered districts were dubbed the "Gerry-mander."
Johann Cruyff: Fancy Footwork
Soccer's Dutch midfielder Johann Cruyff (here as he dribbles past Argentinian goalkeeper in 1974, was so deft with his feet that one of his signature moves, in which he did a 180-degree turn while faking a pass, became known as the Cruyff Turn.
Frank Zamboni: Smooth as Ice
The Utah-born ice-rink owner invented the ice-rink resurfacer that is commonly known simply as a Zamboni. Here: Richard Zamboni, his son (center; Frank died in 1988), accepts an award inducting Frank Zamboni into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2006 in Calgary, Canada.
Alessandro Volta: Simply Shocking
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta developed the first electric cell in 1800, and now the unit of electric potential is called the volt.
Thomas Crapper: Heavy Load
British plumber and businessman Thomas Crapper didnt invent the water closet, but added several important improvements and help popularize it in the late 19th and early 20th century. According to legend, his name became synonymous with the act of defecation. In reality, the word had already been in use for centuries. The fact that his name was Crapper was just a, erm, sweet coincidence.