Though the statue of Jedediah Springfield depicts him in a Daniel Boone/Davy Crockett getup, another version of the town’s founding credits German settlers in 1946.
Jebediah Obadiah Springfield’s most famous quote was “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.”
In the late 1980s, Wigwag magazine was founded to be a more gentle version of the New Yorker. Among the columns was one in which the author planned to visit all the Springfields in the US, writing a report on each. Alas, the magazine folded after three years and far too few issues for the author to finish his quest.
20th Century Fox invited all of the various American cities and towns named Springfield to submit video applications to host the world premiere of the The Simpsons Movie in 2007. Springfield, Vt. ended up as the winner.
The M1903 Springfield .30-06 rifle became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. Army in 1905. Although it was officially replaced by the M-1 rifle in 1937, it was still used extensively during World War II.
Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47 assault rifle and who is still alive at age 92, dreamed of being a poet as a young boy. He went on to write six books and has continued to write poetry all his life.
Mikhail Gorbachev was briefly held under house arrest in his dacha outside Moscow during the August 1991 communist hardliner coup attempt. The abortive putsch led to the outlawing of the Communist Party and breakup of the Soviet Union later that year.
Gorbachev was noted for a prominent “port wine stain” birthmark, an area of dilated capillaries, on his forehead. He chose not to have it removed because of the potential public-relations effects of his appearing to be more concerned with his appearance than serious matters.
In December 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously said after meeting Mikhail Gorbachev, then a rising star in the Soviet government, “I am cautiously optimistic. I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together.”
In 1987 the English Shakespeare Company put on the Henry VI plays, with Queen Margaret closely modelled on Margaret Thatcher.
Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher in the current movie The Iron Lady. The movie has had mixed reviews, but Streep’s portrayal has generally been praised.
John Cazale appeared in only five movies in his lifetime; all were nominated for best picture Oscars. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Meryl Streep.
Oscar the Grouch was orange in the first season of Sesame Street.
Caroll Spinney is the voice of Oscar the Grouch, as well as the man in the Big Bird suit.
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit was a 1955 novel about a search for meaning in the life of an American businessman.
The Man, starring James Earl Jones, was a movie about the first black President of the United States, who takes office upon the death of several other top leaders and is at once beset by racist schemers in his own administration and in Congress, and a deteriorating international situation.
Earl Grey, as Governor General of Canada, donated his name and a cup to Canadian football.
General George McClellan, former leader of the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War, was elected governor of New Jersey in 1877, despite the fact he had never expressed any interest in the position prior to being nominated.
George McClellan had unsuccessfully run against incumbent President Abraham Lincoln, his former boss, in 1864. His son was eventually elected Mayor of New York City.
George III and Richard II both succeed their grandfathers as king, their fathers having died prematurely.