People Who Became Nouns

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.

Edsel
Ford Edsel, a failed car line that has become synonymous with failure. The line was named after Henry Ford's son Edsel, Thanks, dad.

Hooker
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.

Boycott
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

Shrapnel
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.

Quisling
Vidkun Quisling: No Patriot
Vidkun Quisling (right) 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."

Peel
Robert Peel: Man With a Badge
British Home Secretary Robert Peel lent both his names to nicknames for police officers -- peelers and bobbies -- when he helped the first police force in history. Here: member of Peel's Irish police force in 1851.

Sandwich
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
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.

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."

Guy
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.

Spooner
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."

Cardigan
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.

Bloomer
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.

Guillotin
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.

Diesel
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.

Silhouette
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.\

Watt
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.

Newton
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).

Sideburns
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."

Braille
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.

Gerry-mander
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."

Cruyff
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.

Crapper
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.

27 Facts about Guys ;)

September 7.. ppl who share my B'Day

• 786 – Emperor Saga, 52nd Emperor of Japan (d. 842)
• 1438 – Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1471)
• 1524 – Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (d. 1583)
• 1533 – Queen Elizabeth I of England (d. 1603)
• 1674 – Ernest Augustus (d. 1728)
• 1683 – Mary Anne of Austria, Archduchess of Austria and Queen consort of Portugal (d. 1754)
• 1694 – Johan Ludvig, Danish policitian (d. 1763)
• 1705 – Matthäus Günther, German painter (d. 1788)
• 1707 – Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, French naturalist, biologist and author (d. 1788)
• 1726 – François-André Danican Philidor, French chess player and composer (d. 1795)
• 1740 – Johan Tobias Sergel, Swedish sculptor (d. 1814)
• 1777 – Heinrich Stölzel, German musician and composer (d. 1844)
• 1810 – Hermann Heinrich Gossen, Prussian economist (d. 1858)
• 1815 – John McDouall Stuart, Australian explorer (d. 1866)
• 1817 – Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), queen of Denmark (d. 1898)
• 1818 – Thomas Talbot, 31^st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1886)
• 1819 – Thomas A. Hendricks, 21^st Vice President of the United States (d. 1885)
• 1829 – Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz, German organic chemist (d. 1896)
• 1831 – Alexandre Falguière, French sculptor and painter (d. 1900)
• 1836 – August Toepler, German physicist (d. 1912)
• 1842 – Johannes Zukertort, German chess master (d. 1888)
• 1851 – Edward Ashael Birge, American pioneer in limnology (d. 1950)
• 1855 – William Friese-Greene, British photographer (d. 1921)
• 1860 – Grandma Moses, American painter (d. 1961)
• 1862 – Sir Edgar Speyer, American-born British financier and philanthropist (d. 1932)
• 1866 – Tristan Bernard, French playwright and novelist (d. 1947)
• 1867 – Albert Bassermann, German actor (d. 1952)
• 1869 – Ben Viljoen, South African Boer general and circus act (d. 1917)
• 1870 – Aleksandr Kuprin, Russian writer, pilot, explorer and adventurer (d. 1938)
• 1870 – Thomas Curtis, American athlete (d. 1944)
• 1876 – C.J. Dennis, Australian poet and writer (d. 1938)
• 1877 – Mike O'Neill, Irish baseball player (d. 1959)
• 1885 – Elinor Wylie, American poet and novelist (d. 1928)
• 1887 – Edith Sitwell, British poet and critic (d. 1964)
• 1908 – Paul Brown, American football coach and executive (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Michael DeBakey, American cardiac surgeon (d. 2008)
• 1909 – Elia Kazan, Greek-born American film and theater director (d. 2003)
• 1911 – Todor Zhivkov, Bulgarian Communist leader during the Cold War (d. 1998)
• 1912 – David Packard, American electrical engineer and businessman (d. 1996)
• 1913 – Anthony Quayle, British actor and director (d. 1989)
• 1914 – Graeme Bell, Australian pianist and composer
• 1914 – James Van Allen, American space scientist (d. 2006)
• 1917 – John Cornforth, Australian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1917 – Jacob Lawrence, American painter (d. 2000)
• 1919 – Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Al Caiola, American guitarist
• 1921 – Josep Lluís Núñez, Spanish President of FC Barcelona (1978 – 2000)
• 1922 – Lucien Jarraud, Canadian radio host (d. 2007)
• 1923 – Peter Lawford, British-born American actor (d. 1984)
• 1924 – Bridie Gallagher, Irish singer
• 1924 – Daniel Inouye, American senator (Hawaii) and Medal of Honor recipient
• 1925 – Laura Ashley, British designer (d. 1985)
• 1925 – Allan Blakeney, Canadian politician
• 1926 – Erich Juskowiak, German footballer (d. 1983)
• 1926 – Don Messick, American voice actor (d. 1997)
• 1927 – Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, French Canadian judge
• 1927 – Eric Hill, British children's Author
• 1930 – Sonny Rollins, American jazz saxophonist
• 1930 – Baudouin I, King of the Belgians (d. 1993)
• 1934 – Little Milton, American musician (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Omar Karami, Prime Minister of Lebanon
• 1934 – Mary Bauermeister, German artist
• 1934 – Rabbi Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian-born member of the Rabbinical Court of the Edah HaChareidis, Jerusalem (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Buddy Holly, American singer (The Crickets) (d. 1959)
• 1936 – Apostolos Kaklamanis, Greek politician
• 1937 – John Phillip Law, American actor (d. 2008)
• 1937 – Cüneyt Arkın, Turkish film actor
• 1937 – Oleg Lobov, Prime Minister of Russia
• 1940 – Dario Argento, Italian film director
• 1940 – Abdurrahman Wahid, 4th President of Indonesia (d. 2009)
• 1942 – Alan Oakes, British Footballer
• 1943 – Lena Valaitis, Lithuanian-German Schlager singer
• 1943 – Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada
• 1944 – Bertel Haarder, Danish politician
• 1944 – Earl "the Goat" Manigault, American basketball player (d. 1998)
• 1945 – Jacques Lemaire, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1946 – Willie Crawford, American baseball player (d. 2004)
• 1949 – Gloria Gaynor, American singer
• 1949 – Barry Siegel, American journalist
• 1950 – Julie Kavner, American actress
• 1951 – Morris Albert, Brazilian singer
• 1951 – Chrissie Hynde, American guitarist and singer (The Pretenders)
• 1951 – Mark Isham, American composer
• 1952 – Susan Blakely, American actress
• 1952 – Ricardo Tormo, Spanish motocyclist (d. 1998)
• 1953 – Benmont Tench, American keyboardist
• 1954 – Corbin Bernsen, American actor
• 1954 – Michael Emerson, American actor
• 1955 – Efim Zelmanov, Russian mathematician
• 1955 – Mira Furlan, Croatian actress
• 1955 – Leonard Haze, American-born rock drummer, songwriter and producer (ex-Y&T)
• 1956 – Byron Stevenson, British footballer (d. 2007)
• 1956 – Diane Warren, American song writer
• 1957 – Jermaine Stewart, American pop singer (Shalamar and Culture Club) (d. 1997)
• 1960 – Andrew Voss, Australian television personality
• 1961 – LeRoi Moore, American Saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band) (d. 2008)
• 1961 – Jean-Yves Thibaudet, French Pianist
• 1962 – Jennifer Egan, American novelist
• 1963 – Eazy-E, American rapper (N.W.A.) (d. 1995)
• 1963 – Brent Liles, American punk rock bassist of Social Distortion (d. 2007)
• 1964 – Andy Hug, Swiss Seidokaikan karateka and kickbokser (d. 2000)
• 1965 – Andreas Thom, German footballer
• 1965 – Uta Pippig, German athlete
• 1965 – Darko Pančev, Macedonian footballer
• 1965 – Angela Gheorghiu, Romanian opera singer
• 1967 – Toby Jones, British actor
• 1969 – Darren Bragg, American baseball player
• 1969 – Angie Everhart, American model and actress
• 1969 – Diane Farr, American actress (Numb3rs)
• 1969 – Rudy Galindo, American skater figure
• 1970 – Tom Everett Scott, American actor
• 1971 – Briana Scurry, American soccer player
• 1972 – Jason Isringhausen, American baseball player
• 1972 – Slug, American rapper (Atmosphere)
• 1973 – Shannon Elizabeth, American actress
• 1974 – Mario Frick, Liechtensteiner footballer
• 1975 – Harold Wallace, Costa Rican footballer
• 1975 – Norifumi Abe, Japanese motorcycle road racer (d. 2007)
• 1976 – Oliver Hudson, American actor
• 1977 – Nora Greenwald, American professional wrestler
• 1977 – Gianluca Grava, Italian footballer
• 1977 – Jon Macken, British Footballer
• 1978 – Matt Cooke, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Devon Sawa, Canadian actor
• 1978 – Erwin Koen, Dutch footballer
• 1979 – Pavol Hochschorner and Peter Hochschorner – Slovak slalom canoers
• 1979 – Brian Stokes, American baseball player
• 1979 – Owen Pallett, Canadian musician (Final Fantasy)
• 1980 – Mark Prior, American baseball player
• 1980 – Gabriel Milito, Argentine footballer
• 1980 – Javad Nekounam, Iranian footballer
• 1980 – Sara Carrigan, Australian cyclist
• 1981 – Paul McCoy, American musician (lead singer of 12 Stones)
• 1981 – Gökhan Zan, Turkish footballer
• 1982 – Andre Dirrell, American boxer
• 1983 – Pops Mensah-Bonsu, British basketball player
• 1983 – Annette Dytrt, German skater figure
• 1983 – Philip Deignan, Irish cyclist
• 1983 – Mehmet Topuz, Turkisher footballer
• 1984 – Vera Zvonareva, Russian tennis player
• 1984 – Farveez Maharoof, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1985 – Rafinha, Brazilian footballer
• 1985 – Adam Eckersley, English footballer
• 1986 – Colin Delaney, American professional wrestler
• 1987 – Evan Rachel Wood, American actress
• 1987 – Aleksandra Wozniak, Canadian tennis player
• 1988 – Kevin Love, American basketball player
• 1990 – Tanja Kolbe, German ice dancer