Today in History - September 17, 2022

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Published on September 17, 2022 4:31:57 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owcQu9badmo

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On this day, a local eccentric declared himself an emperor and became one of his city’s most popular tourist attractions. On September 17th, 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton hand-delivered a letter to the San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin declaring himself Emperor Norton I of the United States. Norton had previously been a wealthy commodities trader, however when a bad deal financially ruined him, he chose to declare himself Emperor of the United States and advocate for crackpot ideas like abolishing Congress, ending political parties, and building a bridge across the San Francisco Bay to link Oakland and San Francisco. The people of San Francisco showed due deference to their imperial master and he became one of the city’s most famous citizens, with several gift shops springing up to sell souvenirs to the tourists who came from far and wide to pay their respects to America’s great and powerful emperor.