posthumous fame
Recognized at last — unfortunately, after the funeral.
The Shoemaker Who Became a Bear
A grizzly attack left him with a silver-dollar-sized hole in his skull — and that bear ended up on the California state flag.
The Woman Who Got the Moonlight by Accident
The most famous piano dedication in history was a last-minute substitution, named by a man who never met her, for a woman who was busy doing other things.
The Violinist Who Couldn't Be Buried
He spent thirty-six years after his death being moved between increasingly strange rooms across the south of France.
The Woman Who Built a Hospital Out of Driftwood
Florence Nightingale's team rejected her, so she set up three and a half miles closer to the front lines than Nightingale ever got.
The Man Who Laughed at Everything
He correctly described the structure of all matter in the universe. Plato tried to have his books burned. Plato won.
The Duke Who Went Underground
He built the largest ballroom in England and used it to roller-skate alone.
The Woman Who Dressed Like a Cathedral
She had a coffin she liked to lie in before writing each morning, to focus her mind.
The Doctor Who Was Right
He died of the same infection, in the same place on his body, that he'd spent his life trying to prevent.
The Movie Star Who Invented Your Wi-Fi
The Navy told Hedy Lamarr she'd be more useful selling kisses than inventing torpedo guidance systems.
The Man Who Was Emperor of America
Joshua Norton declared himself Emperor, and San Francisco largely agreed.