Who was this Gordon Bennett guy that us Brits refer to in exclamation, and why did we adopt his name in this manner? What did he do to become worthy of the theft of his name for use as a phrase used in exasperation?
Ringo
May 12, 2002, 3:50pm
2
From the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett home page:
A little more is available at The Learning Network ’s entry for James Gordon Bennett :
Educated mostly in France, he took over (1867) from his father the management of the New York Herald. In 1869-71 he financed Henry Stanley’s expedition into Africa to find David Livingston, and from 1879 to 1881 he supported the ill-fated expedition of G. W. De Long to the arctic region.
And:
He established London and Paris daily editions of the Herald ; the Paris paper was an unprofitable, sincere attempt to promote international goodwill. Bennett was fond of sports, especially of yachting, and established the James Gordon Bennett cup as a trophy in international yacht races and similar cups for balloon and airplane races.
He was the Publisher of the New York Herald .
The use as a popular phrase is explained at The Phrase Finder more as one of surprise than exasperation:
Meaning Origin
The Stade Roland Garros, where the French Open Tennis championship is held ,is located on the Avenue Gordon Bennet in Paris.