4 ms·

Wow what a character, terrific find. I found this to be just amazing: "Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco

Wow what a character, terrific find. I found this to be just amazing: "Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars." and: "Norton was occasionally a visionary, and some of his Imperial Decrees exhibited profound foresight. He issued instructions to form a League of Nations, he explicitly forbade any form of conflict between religions or their sects, and he decreed the construction of a suspension bridge or tunnel connecting Oakland and San Francisco."

programd 7y ago
Odd that this made the front page of HN, but heck, let’s roll with it. A friend of a friend actually does very fun tours around SF as Emperor Norton. Amusing and informative. https://www.emperornortontour.com/index.html https://www.emperornortontour.com/index.html
- Stratoscope 7y ago
  I second this recommendation! We took the Emperor Norton tour a couple of years ago. It was great fun and we learned a lot of San Francisco history. You even get to go into one of the tunnels where they Shanghaied people. [1] Since I had done my homework before taking the tour, we had a bit of fun at the beginning when the group met in Union Square. A dog went running by and the Emperor said, "Bummer, is that you?" I called out "Bummer, get Lazarus!" [2] [3] The Emperor also offers a food tour in his modern disguise as Chef Joseph. Maybe we will take that one next! [4] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bummer_and_Lazarus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bummer_and_Lazarus [3] https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/bummer-and-lazarus-san-franciscos-legendary-dogs-emperor-norton https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/bummer-and-lazarus-san-fra... [4] http://www.sffoodsafari.com/index.html http://www.sffoodsafari.com/index.html
- evanb 7y ago
  I went on this tour and can’t recommend it enough. Absolutely fantastic and extremely interesting. Pass on my congratulations to your friend!
sp332 7y ago
$25 USD was not pocket money in 1859. Accounting for inflation, it's about $750 in 2019 money.
- mikeash 7y ago
  I think that probably understates the magnitude, too. $25 could be several weeks' wages for a typical worker.
scurvy 7y ago
> "Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars." < Good luck telling that to the Hells Angels. Their patches read "Frisco."

programd 7y ago

Odd that this made the front page of HN, but heck, let’s roll with it. A friend of a friend actually does very fun tours around SF as Emperor Norton. Amusing and informative. https://www.emperornortontour.com/index.html https://www.emperornortontour.com/index.html

Stratoscope 7y ago
I second this recommendation! We took the Emperor Norton tour a couple of years ago. It was great fun and we learned a lot of San Francisco history. You even get to go into one of the tunnels where they Shanghaied people. [1] Since I had done my homework before taking the tour, we had a bit of fun at the beginning when the group met in Union Square. A dog went running by and the Emperor said, "Bummer, is that you?" I called out "Bummer, get Lazarus!" [2] [3] The Emperor also offers a food tour in his modern disguise as Chef Joseph. Maybe we will take that one next! [4] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bummer_and_Lazarus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bummer_and_Lazarus [3] https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/bummer-and-lazarus-san-franciscos-legendary-dogs-emperor-norton https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/bummer-and-lazarus-san-fra... [4] http://www.sffoodsafari.com/index.html http://www.sffoodsafari.com/index.html
evanb 7y ago
I went on this tour and can’t recommend it enough. Absolutely fantastic and extremely interesting. Pass on my congratulations to your friend!

sp332 7y ago

$25 USD was not pocket money in 1859. Accounting for inflation, it's about $750 in 2019 money.

mikeash 7y ago
I think that probably understates the magnitude, too. $25 could be several weeks' wages for a typical worker.

scurvy 7y ago

> "Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars." < Good luck telling that to the Hells Angels. Their patches read "Frisco."