Torontp baseball fans know John McDonald. They also know John Macdonald. And for fun, if they know their history of Ontario, they also know John MacDonald. But if you’re in to Canadian political history already, you’d also know John MacDonald, John MacDonald, plus, all from Prince Edward Island, you’ve got John MacDonald, John MacDonald, and John MacDonald, none of whom should be confused with John Macdonald, as distinct from John Macdonald, who you certainly would not want to confuse with John MacDonald, who wrote books, or John Macdonald, who wrote different books.
Jessica Simpson and OJ Simpson
Jim Jones and James Earl Jones
The three A-Rods: Aaron Rodgers, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Roddick
I don’t think Red Bull gave her those wings.
I doubt many people think that Edward Wood, WWII statesman, moved to Los Angeles after the war and became Ed Wood, low budget filmmaker.
Although not yet mentioned in this thread, I’ll have to admit that it was only in the last year or so that I figured out “Kid Rock” was not the same person as Chris Rock.
“I never heard a preacher use the ‘bawida’ word so many times!”.
I did not know that.
Lest I forget… Bones and Bones.
As long as we’re on the subject, Joyce Frankenberg decided she needed a better name to become an actress. She picked Jane Seymour because of the queen.
Ah well that does make a difference. But I think Jane Seymour, nee Joyce Frankenberg has a good head on her shoulders, unlike two of the Historical Queen Jane’s contemporaries. Survived childbirth well, too.
And having been married five times, she’s well on her way to beating Henry’s record.
I doubt anyone would confuse the statesman Winston Churchill with an RJ Reynolds cigarette 6 inches long and 60/64th inches wide.
Unless you also mistook your wife for a hat.
And then there’s Simon Baron-Cohen, inventor of the male brain.
The Duke of Wellington and Duke Ellington.
Tina Turner and Keena Turner.
To add to the Robert Heinlein anecdote Little Nemo related: While working at a theater, my brother once interacted with an Emanuel Swedenborg who, when queried, claimed not to know of his mystical namesake.
When John Edward was more famous, that seemed to happen a lot around here.
Or Edward Woodward. (And apparently there was a second well-known Edward Woodward.)