Cool Dudes of History - George Tirebiter

Today's cool dude ... is actually a dog. Although I graduated a Bruin, I'll have to admit that my all-time favorite Trojan is USC's George Tirebiter. Like so many legends, the legend of George Tirebiter is shrouded partly in myth. Some claim the original Tirebiter was a stray that hung around Curry's Ice Cream Parlor, or that he was actually adopted by locals following the death of his owner. Whatever the case, his fondness for chasing after bicycles and cars and biting their rubber tires is where he got his name. The "George" is attributed to a Navy V-12 student named George Kuhns to whom he bore a resemblance.

George Tirebiter grew to be a popular school mascot during the 40s and 50s, riding in cars and running onto the field of USC football games, often wearing a USC sweater made especially for him. One story even has him biting the nose of Cal mascot Oski the Bear to the great applause of Trojans everywhere.

At one point he disappeared for a week, the victim of an apparent kidnapping. The culprits turned out to be the crosstown rival Bruins. When he was returned stories differ as to what had been done to him—in one he was covered in honey and feathers, and in another "UCLA" was shaved into his fur.

Following his days at USC he retired to a farm in El Centro, where he passed away doing what he loved—chasing cars. A funeral was held on the USC campus, where the Daily Trojan sadly proclaimed that "Tires are safe now."

He was succeeded by three other George Tirebiters, but the original will always be remembered best. In 2006 a statue of George Tirebiter, one of the great dog statues of the world, was unveiled on the USC campus, depicting him in his trademark sweater with a piece of torn tire hanging from his mouth.

Bite on.

Cool Dudes of History - Brian May

Brian May, born July 19, 1947, is the lead guitarist for the rock band Queen.

In 1968, Brian May, along with Tim Staffell and future Queen drummer Roger Taylor, formed a group called Smile. Staffel befriended fellow student Farrokh Bulsara, another cool dude of history, who would later be known as Freddie Mercury. Staffel eventually left the group in 1970, and Freddie suggested they change their name to Queen. Bassist John Deacon was then added to the mix, and thus was born the legendary rock group Queen. Queen would go on to record 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles, and 10 number one DVDs.

For his involvement in Queen alone, Brian May should be considered a cool dude. But he also built his own guitar. That's right, built his guitar. With help from his dad, May built the Red Special, his personal guitar, when he was a teen. He would use it throughout his career, on many of Queen's hits.

And if that wasn't enough to qualify him as a cool dude, he's also an astrophycist. Prior to making it big with Queen, May was studying for his PhD in physics at Imperial College London. In 2008, thirty years later, he completed his research and earned a PhD in astrophysics. He is currently serving as the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

Here's "We Will Rock You," one of the Queen songs that Brian May composed. Ironically, it doesn't feature any instruments except for his guitar solo at the very end.

Cool Dudes of History - Emperor Joshua Norton I

In lieu of the fact that "Time Train" is on hiatus, I'm starting a new feature called "Cool Dudes of History," highlighting great figures in the annals of history. I should note that this blog is mostly true, in that 50.1% of everything I write in this blog is true. "Cool Dudes of History" falls into that 0.1%. Not all of these figures show up in history books, but they should be remembered nonetheless.
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Emperor Joshua Norton I was born Joshua Abraham Norton in England c. 1819. he eventually moved to San Francisco where he made his living as a businessman. After losing his money investing in rice, he left San Francisco only to return years later quite mentally unbalanced. Dissatisfied with the government, he proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States" and later "Protector of Mexico." He took to wearing an old military uniform and issued his own currency which was accepted around the city. At one point, he prevented the outbreak of a riot that could have resulted in injury to the Chinese immigrants he was protecting.

Despite his eccentricity, he was much revered and beloved by San Francisco locals. Though penniless, many fine restaurants opened their doors to him, and he received preferential treatment from many establishments. When he was incarcerated by an unknowing police officer, outraged citizens lobbied successfully for his release. Police Chief Patrick Crowley, in apology, was quoted as saying "that he had shed no blood; robbed no one; and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line." Subsequently, police officers would stand and salute Emperor Norton when he passed by.

He was a popular subject of news articles of the day, and was associated with two street dogs, Bummer and Lazarus, who were celebrities in their own right. When his clothes became worn, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors procured him with a suitable replacement.

Despite his mental issues, he was fairly forward thinking. He called for the formation of a League of Nations decades before Woodrow Wilson would push for one following World War I. He also proposed the creation of a bridge and underwater tunnel spanning the bay, which would later be realized with the creation of the Bay Bridge and the Transbay Tube.

On January 8, 1880, Emperor Joshua Norton I collapsed on the sidewalk and passed away before help could arrive. San Francisco newspapers the following day featured his death on the front page, under headlines like, "Norton the First, by the grace of God Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life." A lavish funeral was paid for by the Pacific Club, a local businessman's association, and tens of thousands of San Franciscans came out to pay their respects to the fallen emperor.