Names that contain multitudes

10 real people who became widely used adjectives

Is it possible for a person to leave such a deep impression in their time that their name becomes synonymous with their most predominant characteristics? Of course! We can find many examples of this across history, but also in words that we use or hear often, and we might not realize that they are the names of famous queens, generals, writers, or philosophers. Here are 10 adjectives you have heard at least once that come from the name of a historical character.

Meaning: aggressive and domineering as a way to compensate for a fault in a different aspect.

Be it that we think of Napoleon Bonaparte as a military genius or as a very lucky madman, we can’t deny that he was ambitious and assertive. However, some of his detractors say that this attitude was a way for him to compensate for his (very documented) lack of height. No matter his military triumphs, the name ‘Napoleon’ remained stuck to a physical trait.

Meaning: grand, heroic, epic.

Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are two of the most influential literary works of all time. Narrating the War of Troy, Odysseus’ journey back home, and the workings of the gods in human fate, the impact of these works in Western culture has made them, and their creator, the epitome of all that’s epic and heroic.

Meaning: a complex, bizarre, and illogical situation.

Franz Kafka is known for his stunning prose, but even more for the oppressive and alienating world his characters live in, be it that they wake up turned into a giant insect or that they have to navigate the nightmares of a bureaucratic system. So, add ‘kafkaesque’ to your repertoire for the next time you are left endlessly waiting on a call with customer service.

Meaning: cunning, sneaky, manipulative.

We often describe evil people and things as ‘Machiavellian’, but was Niccolo Machiavelli that twisted? Not necessarily, but some might say his ideas were. As the author of the political philosophy treatise The Prince, he was of the idea that the common good might justify using not-so-good means, which resulted in his name being associated with those who put their own interests above ethics and morals.

Meaning: excessively harsh or severe.

Chances are that, even if you heard the term ‘draconian’, you don’t know it refers to a real person. Draco was an Athenian lawmaker from the 7th century BC, infamous for creating a legal code so strict that even minor crimes warranted the death penalty. The severity of this code was such that his name became synonymous with excessive laws and regulations.

Meaning: defying traditional heroic ideals, anti-heroic.

As far as 19th-century poets go, none was as rebellious, cynical, and self-destructive as George Gordon, better known as Lord Byron, and his male characters followed suit. Leaving a lasting impact in English society, the name Byron came to signify melancholy, rebellion, arrogance, cynicism, and a complete disregard for social rules.

Meaning: prudish, strait-laced, old-fashioned, rigid.

As the second-longest reigning monarch of the UK, Queen Victoria and her 63-year-long reign left a deep impression on British society and on the world. Although the Victorian era was characterised by industrialization and social reform, it was also a time when society behaved according to a strict moral code that is seen today as hypocritical, prudish, and extremely rigid.

Meaning: an automatic or conditioned response to a specific stimulus.

When Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov trained a dog to associate the sound of a bell with food, which in turn caused the dog to salivate when the bell rang, he couldn’t have imagined that his name would become an adjective used across the world. Next time you associate a random sound or action with a memory, remember that that Pavlovian response can be described thanks to a dog.

Meaning: bleak, tragic, grim, eccentric.

Prolific 19th-century author Charles Dickens published his novels in installments meant to be read by the middle and working classes, so naturally, he chose topics he thought would appeal to those people, which resulted in stories of social injustice, poverty, industrialization, and its consequences, with a cast of eccentric characters to match. Dickens is now a revered author and the hand behind several beloved stories, but his name has turned into a way to describe situations reminiscent of those he depicted in his work.

Meaning: a spiritual, intellectual, or emotional relationship, free from desire.

We use the term ‘platonic’ often, and although we know who Plato was, we sometimes fail to realize that what he described in his works and what we call ‘platonic’ are not the same thing. In his writings, Plato suggested that true love was spiritual and could transcend the physical aspect of life. With the passing of time, people came to associate the ‘platonic’ idea of love with a love freed from physical desire.

10 weird historical events that no one has been able to explain (yet)

Image: Walters Art Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn't like a good mystery? And if the mystery isn’t a work of fiction but the result of a true story, even better! The great unsolved enigmas of history are absolutely fascinating. Some have been solved over time, but there are still many old secrets for which neither scientists nor historians have found an explanation—yet. Time-travel with us as we uncover 10 of the biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be cracked!

Image: Tanner, Henry S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bermeja Island is mentioned in navigation texts written by European travelers and appears in cartography from the 16th to 19th centuries. Old maps place it off the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, multiple searches over the years have yielded no concrete evidence of its existence.

So, what happened to Isla Bermeja? Was it a cartographic error? Did it sink due to a tidal wave? Because of its geopolitical significance, some have even suggested that it was blown up by the CIA! A 2009 study by the Autonomous University of Mexico concluded that Isla Bermeja does not exist today, nor were any traces found at its supposed coordinates. Yet, it will forever remain a mystery that will surely keep many entertained.

Image: Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope, used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, detected a signal now known as the Wow! signal. While reviewing the data, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman noticed a sequence represented as "6EQUJ5." Baffled by the anomaly, he circled it and wrote "Wow!" in the margins.

The signal lasted 72 seconds and, unfortunately, has never been repeated. To this day, no one can fully explain the phenomenon, although some suggest it may have come from a man-made source. Still, the Wow! signal remains one of the strongest candidates for potential extraterrestrial contact ever detected.

Image: Edward S. Curtis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How is it possible for an entire village to vanish without a trace? Believe it or not, this is said to have happened nearly a century ago. According to lore, a small Inuit village in Canada was well known among fur trappers who visited regularly to trade. But in 1930, something very strange supposedly occurred.

A hunter named Joe Labelle claimed he visited the village one day and couldn’t find a single person. Reports said there were guns and food left behind, and even claims that the graves in the cemetery were empty. A thorough investigation, however, found no conclusive evidence of what happened to the villagers. Some witnesses from nearby towns even reported seeing a huge green light. Theories ranged from mass migration to extraterrestrial abductions. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has since dismissed the case as an urban legend. Some still believe the story to be true.

Image: bbb

We know thousands of shipwreck stories, but this one is quite unique. The MV Joyita, designed to be nearly unsinkable, was found adrift in the South Pacific, practically unharmed, but the crew had disappeared completely.

In October 1955, the American merchant vessel left the port of Apia in Samoa with 16 crew members and 9 passengers bound for the Tokelau Islands. After days without news, a rescue mission was launched. Five weeks later, the Joyita was spotted more than 600 miles west of its intended route. The vessel was partially submerged, and there was no sign of the passengers or crew. Four tons of cargo and all three life rafts were missing. They were never seen again.

Image: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you know where one of the best-preserved mummies was found? Hint: not in Egypt. Xin Zhui, the Marquise of Dai during the Western Han Dynasty in China, was discovered in her tomb at Mawangdui 2,000 years after her death, along with hundreds of valuable documents and artifacts.

What makes this mummy so extraordinary is how well-preserved her body is. Her organs and veins remain intact, and she still has hair and even eyelashes. Scientists analyzed the fluid present in the coffin and discovered it was acidic and contained salt and magnesium. They believe this mysterious liquid may have been responsible for preserving Xin Zhui so well. What they don’t know is whether it was intentionally poured into the coffin or came from the body itself.

Image: Yoichi Okamoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States has its fair share of presidents who died while in office, but none of our 45 presidents have ever disappeared without a trace. Did you know that this actually happened in The Land Down Under?

Harold Edward Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He loved the ocean and spearfishing. During a weekend trip with friends, Holt visited the remote Cheviot Beach to take a swim. Rough sea conditions that day caused him to be swept away by the waves, and he never reappeared. Despite an intensive search, his body was never found, which has given rise to numerous conspiracy theories. Ironically, Australians built the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne in his honor.

Image: FBI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many famous criminals have managed to remain unidentified for decades, but the D.B. Cooper case is something else entirely. In 1971, Cooper boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he showed a flight attendant a device he claimed was a bomb and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in cash.

The crew landed to meet Cooper’s demands in exchange for the passengers and then took off again. As the plane flew over southwestern Washington, Cooper jumped into the cold, rainy night carrying his haul. His whereabouts and true identity were never discovered, although it is likely he didn’t survive the jump. In 1980, some of the ransom money was found near the Columbia River. Although the FBI officially closed the case in 2016, amateur sleuths continue to try to crack it.

Image: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you imagine an epidemic where the main symptom is uncontrollable dancing? Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it? Yet this really happened during the Middle Ages. In 1518, a dancing plague struck Strasbourg, Alsace, in what is now France. This strange condition affected up to 400 people, making them dance frantically for weeks. It is said that some even died of heart attacks, exhaustion, or strokes.

Doctors and authorities tried all kinds of measures to stop the spread. They even banned music for a while! To this day, scientists are not certain what caused this bizarre condition: it may have been food poisoning from toxins in the ergot fungus, or perhaps a case of stress-induced mass hysteria.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Voynich manuscript is a codex written roughly 500 years ago in an unknown language and writing system by an anonymous author. Known as Voynichese, the manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish bibliophile and antiquarian who purchased it in 1912.

Radiocarbon testing has shown that it dates to the early 15th century. Many cryptographers and codebreakers have attempted to decipher its roughly 240 pages without success. The manuscript contains diagrams and illustrations of unknown plants and astrological symbols. Some believe it may be a made-up language, a secret code, a work of fiction, or even a hoax. If you think you can solve this mystery, the Voynich manuscript is available for viewing at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Image: Bernhard

Similar to the Voynich manuscript, the Phaistos Disc is a fired clay disc believed to have been created during the Bronze Age. It was discovered by an Italian archaeologist in the basement of a palace in Crete, Greece, in 1908.

What makes this disc fascinating is that it contains a mysterious message. Stamped into the clay is a set of signs, forming a text that many scientists have tried to decipher—without success. It is considered an early attempt at printing, a technological innovation that would not become widespread for several centuries. While enthusiasts still hope the enigma can be solved, this is unlikely unless other documents are discovered to provide context.