Joshua Abraham Norton may be the truest example of a rags-to-riches story. Born in England, Norton was raised mostly in South Africa before being left $40,000 (that's about $1.5 million in today's money) when his dad died. With that money, he moved to San Francisco in 1849 to invest in Peruvian rice. After losing all his money, he announced himself to be Emperor of the United States, a title he obviously had no legal right to since American doesn't have Emperors. He handed out leaflets and sent letters to newspapers around San Francisco, letting them know about the news, and took to wearing some flamboyant military regalia (complete with sword). He later added Protector of Mexico to his unofficial official title as well, before embarking on a 21 year reign that involved him demanding the constitution, congress, and both the Republican and Democrat parties be dissolved. He would examine sidewalks and cable cars in the city, and lecture anybody who came near. Despite never actually being recognised as Emperor of the United States, Norton still wielded enough power that his demands for a bridge and tunnel connecting San Francisco and Oakland came to pass albeit several decades after his death, at 65.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
