Buzz
In past discussions, we’ve highlighted individuals who might have been forgotten if not for the products named after them. More recently, we’ve touched on those remembered through foods and recipes. However, there are even more people whose legacies endure through their association with everyday items, fashion brands, innovative technologies, and even fitness regimens.
10. The Leotard
Born in France in August 1838, Jean Marie Jules Leotard grew up with a father who owned a gymnasium. Although Jules initially dreamed of becoming a lawyer, he found himself assisting in the gym one day. While experimenting, he hung a bar by attaching ropes to both ends, inadvertently inventing the trapeze.
Although Jules successfully passed his legal exams, he chose to delve deeper into experimenting with his acrobatic creation, often practicing over a swimming pool. Abandoning his legal aspirations, he joined the Cirque Napoleon in 1859. During his performances, Jules utilized five trapezes suspended in midair, executing somersaults between them.
His outfit—a snug, knitted one-piece suit—provided him with unrestricted movement and eliminated the risk of getting tangled in the wires. It also showcased his physique, eliciting giggles from women and envy from men. Eventually, the suit was named the “leotard” in his honor.
Beyond the iconic bodysuit, Jules Leotard also inspired a well-known song. You might recognize it: “He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease, a daring young man on the flying trapeze. His movements were graceful, all girls he could please, and my love he purloined away.”
9. The Viking Bluetooth Technology
In 1998, Jim Kardach collaborated with engineers and tech experts from Erion, IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba to create a system where mobile phones, laptops, desktops, and radios could communicate and exchange data using Erion’s cutting-edge innovation. While the revolutionary wireless technology lacked a name at the time, Kardach drew inspiration from the company’s Viking heritage during these discussions.
Harald Gormsson, a Viking king from the 10th century, ruled over much of Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden. His influence extended from the Arctic Circle to the Wends, thanks to his alliances and vassals. He was also known by the nickname Blatand, or “Bluetooth.” The origin of this name remains unclear, with some attributing it to a discolored tooth (where “blue” was used to describe “black”) and others suggesting tand meant “thane.”
Regardless, Kardach and the engineers were captivated by Harald’s tale. Much like Bluetooth’s ability to forge alliances, the technology aimed to connect a variety of devices seamlessly.
8. Big Bertha
In wartime, it’s common to name weapons and military equipment after famous leaders or their creators. Examples include the Abrams, Churchill, and Bradley IFV, as well as the M1 Garand and the Thompson submachine gun. However, the howitzers that targeted British, Belgian, and French forces on the Western front were named after Bertha von Bohlen, the leader of the arms manufacturer Krupp. The Germans referred to them as Dicke Bertha, or “Big Bertha.”
These artillery pieces were among the largest and most powerful of their time, firing shells weighing 950 kilograms (2,100 lb). Many soldiers on the opposing side confused them with similar weapons produced by Krupp, such as the Langer Max (“Long Max”), a railroad gun used in the Battle of the Marne, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Geschutz (“Emperor William Gun”), famously nicknamed the “Paris Gun” after bombarding the City of Lights from 121 kilometers (75 mi) away. By the war’s end, “Bertha” had become slang for a large woman.
7. Queens, Generals, And Victorian Fashion
Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, made a lasting impact on Victorian fashion with his practical innovations. During the Napoleonic Wars, muddy and rain-soaked battlefields often disrupted military operations. Tired of his Hessian boots getting waterlogged, the duke requested a waterproof pair from his shoemaker. This led to the creation of the knee-high rubber or plastic boots now known as “Wellingtons,” or simply “Wellies” in Australia.
The Crimean War also left its mark on Victorian style. On October 25, 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava, General James Brudenell commanded a disastrous attack on a fortified position, famously called the Charge of the Light Brigade. As the 7th Earl of Cardigan, the iconic coats he and his troops wore became known as “cardigans.”
Field Marshal Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, was the one who issued the fateful order that caused widespread confusion. His influence on fashion stemmed from an injury sustained decades earlier at the Battle of Waterloo, which cost him his arm. It’s said he had his shirts tailored with sleeves sewn separately or extending to the neckline, a design now called “raglan sleeves,” widely used in modern sportswear.
Years later, in San Francisco, Roy Raymond felt uncomfortable purchasing lingerie for his wife in public stores. He established a boutique where discreet men could shop privately, featuring decor inspired by Victorian England’s modesty. He named the store Victoria’s Secret, which grew into the world’s most famous lingerie brand, generating annual revenues exceeding $5 billion.
But what was Queen Victoria’s true secret? The only person who knew was Edward Jones, who was fixated on the queen in the 1800s. Jones managed to infiltrate Buckingham Palace, sat on the throne, hid under furniture, and even stole Victoria’s nightgown. Exiled to Australia, he spent his days drinking. Jones carried “the secret” to his grave in 1893, when he drunkenly fell from a bridge and fatally struck his head.
6. Jumping Jacks
General John J. Pershing, who served in the segregated African-American 10th Cavalry Regiment, earned the nickname “Black Jack.” While teaching at West Point, he devised a new hazing ritual disguised as a training drill. He would line up new recruits, have them count off to assign numbers, and then mimic pulling a string. When he “pulled” it one way, the “odds” would extend their arms like puppets, and when he “pulled” it another way, the “evens” would jump with legs spread.
Upperclassmen mocked the plebes as they flailed their arms and legs for hours in what is now recognized as the exercise “jumping jacks.” In 2014, Missouri, Pershing’s home state, even designated his hazing technique as its official state exercise.
5. Starbucks
Today, Starbucks is a global giant, so widespread that jokes abound about stores opening across the street from one another. Back in 1970s Seattle, though, it was merely an idea brewing among friends Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. Beyond their passion for coffee, the trio bonded over their shared love for Moby Dick. Their admiration for the classic tale was so profound that they decided to name their venture after it.
Initially, they chose “Pequod,” the name of Captain Ahab’s ship, until someone remarked, “Who would want to drink ‘pee-quod’?” They then agreed on “Starbuck,” Ahab’s first mate. The company’s original tagline described Starbuck as “the coffee-loving first mate of the ship,” which sparked criticism from the Hermann Melville Society, as Starbuck never drinks coffee in the novel.
4. Geronimo: Paratroopers And Osama bin Laden
Geronimo, the legendary Apache war chief, became a symbol of resistance among Native Americans for his relentless fight against the U.S. government. He repeatedly evaded capture, even after his ally, the warrior Kas-tziden Nana, surrendered in March 1886. Geronimo was finally apprehended on September 4 and spent his remaining years as a prisoner at Fort Sill, where he died of pneumonia on February 17, 1909.
While Geronimo’s name is revered among his people, it gained broader recognition in the 1940s following the 1939 film Geronimo! During training at Fort Benning, Georgia, a group of paratroopers watched the film and later teased each other about their fear of jumping from great heights. The next day, Private Aubrey Eberhardt sought a word that could be heard clearly by those on the plane and the ground below, shouting “Geronimo!” This cry became a hallmark of paratrooper bravery and eventually a universal expression of daring.
However, Geronimo’s name faced controversy when it was linked to Osama bin Laden, whom President Obama revealed was code-named “Geronimo” during the U.S. operation. The name reflected Bin Laden’s defiance and evasion, but many Native Americans found the comparison deeply offensive. Harlan Geronimo, the war chief’s great-grandson and a Vietnam veteran, called for an apology over the disrespect.
3. Molotov Cocktails
Prior to World War II, the Soviet Union and Germany formed a controversial alliance called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Named after the foreign ministers of both nations, this agreement allowed the division of Poland between the Nazis and Soviets and enabled the latter’s expansion into the Baltic States and Finland. The Finns, furious about this development, had no choice but to prepare for the inevitable.
When the Winter War broke out between the Soviet Union and Finland in late 1939, Soviet minister Vyacheslav Molotov claimed that Red Air Force planes were not bombing Finnish territory but delivering food parcels. Molotov insisted that “the Finnish people were starving,” and the aircraft were providing aid. In response, the Finns sarcastically dubbed these bombs “Molotov’s bread baskets.”
The Finns proved to be formidable opponents. Despite being vastly outnumbered by Soviet forces, they inflicted heavy casualties. One of their most effective weapons was a gasoline-filled bottle that caused severe burns or death when ignited and thrown. Although first employed by the Ethiopians during the Abyssinian War against Italy, the Finns mass-produced these devices and named them. The “Molotov cocktail,” the Finns quipped, was “a drink to accompany their food.”
2. The Mario Bros.
Nintendo, meaning “leave luck to heaven,” has roots dating back to 1889. For many years, the company was solely recognized for producing playing cards. Their initial venture into the video game industry wasn’t as creators but as distributors, securing the rights to sell the Magnavox Odyssey in Japan in 1972.
By 1975, video games became the company’s primary focus. Shigeru Miyamoto developed Donkey Kong, a game where players navigate obstacles while avoiding a giant ape hurling objects. Originally, the game was intended to feature Popeye the Sailor Man, but Miyamoto couldn’t secure the rights. Consequently, Bluto was transformed into Donkey Kong, Olive Oyl became the damsel, and Popeye was reimagined as Jumpman.
Miyamoto later decided that Jumpman, renamed “Mr. Video,” would appear in all future Nintendo games. The character was renamed again when Nintendo employees reportedly started calling him “Mario” after the company’s demanding landlord, Mario Segale. Another story suggests that the other half of the Mario Bros. was named after a nearby pizza parlor located across from their warehouse.
1. Queen Anne’s Revenge
Numerous places and objects bear the name of Queen Anne of Great Britain, ranging from furniture and architectural styles to the city of Annapolis, Maryland. However, one of the strangest is the pirate ship named after her—Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge.
The name chosen by Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, for his flagship carries deep historical significance. After the English Protestant community rebelled against the pro-Catholic King James and deposed him in 1688, his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William took the throne. When Mary and William died without heirs, James’s daughter Anne became queen. Despite enduring 16–18 pregnancies, her only surviving child died of smallpox at age 11, leaving her without a successor.
Following this, the Act of Settlement of 1701 was enacted to ensure the crown remained with a Protestant. After Anne’s death, over 50 Catholic relatives were excluded from the line of succession, paving the way for George of Hanover, a German Protestant, to ascend the throne.
The Jacobites, loyalists to King James, tirelessly fought to restore the crown but failed. Among these loyalists was one of history’s most infamous pirates, along with many others. When the British crown passed from a Briton to a German, Blackbeard viewed it as a grave insult and renamed the captured French ship Concorde to reflect his mission of avenging his fallen queen.
