# Famous People Who NEVER Existed! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 30, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586 "2004-07-30T13:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/21 "2004-07-30T16:55:19Z")
**Superman Batman** **Mickey Mouse** (depending on what you mean by a “person.”) **Tarzan** **Peter Pan** **Dracula** **Frankenstein** (along with his monster) **Robin Hood** **Hamlet** **The Invisible Man** **Dr. Henry Jekyll** ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/22 "2004-07-30T16:57:51Z")
Marco Polo and the entire kingdom of Camelot 😃 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/23 "2004-07-30T17:03:35Z")
_The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ When I visited the famous cathedral, I kept peeking into nooks and corridors, hoping to see places where he might have bedded down or peered down at the populace. I hear a lot of other folks do this, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/24 "2004-07-30T17:28:51Z")
Marco Polo did exist, he was one of the first really famous bullshit artists. 🙂 I was going to say Merlin, but now someone will probably point out I’m wrong. William Ashbless, poet, cook and author. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/25 "2004-07-30T17:34:46Z")
John Worphin John Big Boote ( I don’t know how to do the thingee over the E) John Ya-Ya John Small Berries ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/26 "2004-07-30T17:39:42Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Marco Polo and the entire kingdom of Camelot 😃 There’s pretty good evidence for some of them - notably Tristan (or Tristram) son of King Mark of Cornwall. Arthur has been addressed in this thread a couple of times. Merlin’s iffy. **Ghanima** addressed your misconception on Marco Polo. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/27 "2004-07-30T17:42:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Let’s not forget John Henry, the steel-drivin’ man. According to Howard Shenkman’s **Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History** , John Henry _did_ exist. He gives cites. In fact, Shenkman devotes an entire section of his book to people who did exist and people who didn’t. Surprisingly, **Johnny Appleseed** existed. So did **Uncle Sam** , actually San Wilson, and he was one of Johnny Appleseed’s classmates. Again, see Shenckman for cites. So did Mrs. O’Leary and her cow, although it’s not known if they had anything to do with the Chicago fire. Lancelot and Merlin have been treated above. Unlikely, both of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/28 "2004-07-30T17:44:50Z")
New York Mets pitching prospect [Siddartha “Sidd” Finch](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/siddfinch.html). ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/29 "2004-07-30T17:49:15Z")
Daniel Boone :rolleyes: Daniel Boone was a fictional character loosely base on Davey Crockett. People around here get them mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/30 "2004-07-30T17:57:58Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > John Worphin > John Big Boote ( I don’t know how to do the thingee over the E) > John Ya-Ya > John Small Berries So, who is it that has said they believe these people exist? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/31 "2004-07-30T18:10:58Z")
**Marco Polo** almost certainly existed, from what I’ve heard, although there’s a book out that doubts his journeys. But **Sir John Mandeville** didn’t. At best the name is a _nom de plume_ of a writer. At worst the guy made up his narrative from existing travel books. But the editor of the Penguin edition of his _Travels_ seems to think that there may be real and original material in the work, and footnotes bits of Chinese trivia to bolster his case. **Penelope Ashe** , the author of the book **Naked Came the Stranger** , didn’t exist. It was revealed a couple of years after the book’s release that the name was simply made up and the book was written by a group of authors, each doing a chapter. The ruse was so well remembered that about a decade ago a group of Florida-based authors (Dave Barry and Carl Hiassen among them) could pull a similar stunt and call the result **Naked Came the Manatee** , without having to explain the title. For that matter, there are _lots_ of “house names” for books that don’t have a single real person behind them. “Victor Appleton” and his nominal grandson, “Victor Appleton III” (authors of Tom Swift and Tom Swift, Jy. books), “Kenneth Robeson” (author of the Doc Savage stories. Most, but not all, were by Lester Dent). I have a few back home that I can’t recall. You can find lots of them listed in **The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction** and **The Encyclopedia of Fantasy**. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/32 "2004-07-30T18:12:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > According to Howard Shenkman’s **Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History** , John Henry _did_ exist. He gives cites. > > In fact, Shenkman devotes an entire section of his book to people who did exist and people who didn’t. Surprisingly, **Johnny Appleseed** existed. So did **Uncle Sam** , actually San Wilson, and he was one of Johnny Appleseed’s classmates. Again, see Shenckman for cites. So did Mrs. O’Leary and her cow, although it’s not known if they had anything to do with the Chicago fire. > Lancelot and Merlin have been treated above. Unlikely, both of 'em. John Henry was real? That _is_ a surprise. Johnny Appleseed I knew about. As I said, Merlin is “iffy” at best and Lancelot is a literary character. **Hillbilly Queen** , I’m afraid Daniel Boone did exist, about 50 years before Davy Crockett. Back when “Western Frontier” meant “Kentucky”. [Here’s some info.](http://www.americanwest.com/pages/boone.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/33 "2004-07-30T18:17:01Z")
There’s also a rather lengthy Straight Dope column about Johnny Appleseed. Weird, weird guy. I hope Daniel Boone existed, otherwise I think he’d be the first fictional character to serve in the US Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/34 "2004-07-30T18:26:24Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > John Worphin > John Big Boote ( I don’t know how to do the thingee over the E) > John Ya-Ya > John Small Berries “It’s not my goddamn planet, monkey-boy!” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/35 "2004-07-30T18:27:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I hope Daniel Boone existed, otherwise I think he’d be the first fictional character to serve in the US Congress. I think most of them have been fictional. 😃 However it was Crockett who was in Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/36 "2004-07-30T18:33:45Z")
Boone was in the Virginia Assembly FYI. [Link to Boone timeline.](http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Boone/chronology.html) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/37 "2004-07-30T18:45:08Z")
Sun Tzu is widely assumed to have been an amalgamation of several ancient Chinese warriors. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/38 "2004-07-30T19:06:37Z")
I almost forgot about the legendary (literally) Colonel Toon, North Vietnamese fighter ace of the Vietnam War…apparently several North Vietnamese pilots were assumed to be the same guy. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/39 "2004-07-30T19:45:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Surprisingly, **Johnny Appleseed** existed. So did **Uncle Sam** , actually San Wilson, and he was one of Johnny Appleseed’s classmates. Though Sam Wilson did exist, it’s unclear if he had anything to do with Uncle Sam. The first mention of the connection was by a relative years after the people who could have confirmed or denied it had died. If pen names count, there are many: Ellery Queen (which also was used as a house name; in addition to Dannay and Lee, Theodore Sturgeon and Avram Davidson, among others, wrote as “Ellery Queen”), Saki, George Eliot, James Tiptree, Jr., Mark Twain, and Don A. Stuart, to name a few. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586/40 "2004-07-30T19:46:18Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > ( I don’t know how to do the thingee over the E) Alt+0233 if you’re on a Windows box. **CalMeacham** beat me to John Henry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-never-existed/257586.md?page=3)