REALLY WEIRD HISTORY: The Emperor of the United States

[@austinmcconnell]

My buddy Sam covered Norton earlier this month! Go check his video out, too! kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYLKe36Bfa-Iabs

[@quacc4748]

His vid's better

[@gauravvj1090]

austinmcconnell happy Hamburger day

[@benjaminfraeyman]

haha

[@Gaiwen_Li]

quacc whatev

[@gabrielnance6812]

Dude I love history! I can't wait for more videos like this!

[@thelastcube.]

30,000 people attented his funeral Damn, now _that's a legacy_

[@NenadKralj]

that's truly nice ✨

[@drip1192]

It is

[@fullmetaltheorist]

@@theeternal1766 How do you remember that?

[@purplecolour]

And it's 1880!

[@PrajnaIsPrajna-exceptPrajna]

I mean he was an emperor so it makes sense B)

[@wasd____]

>Abolishes both the Democratic and Republican parties The hero we need...

[@coreypatton6290]

Winston Deleon Happy George Washington noises.

[@maylawson6520]

@@coreypatton6290 apush intensifies

[@Lambda_Ovine]

Next time Democrats give me shit for not falling behind Biden I'm going to say, "how can I vote for you when both the Democratic and the Republican Party were abolished?"

[@OnionYeeter]

Libertarian Time

[@wasd____]

@@OnionYeeter Haha no. Not liking the Republican or Democratic parties is not the same as being libertarian. I just want good evidence-based policies created by informed experts instead of by party-loyalist idiots.

[@katestahla]

some guy: I am now the emperor of the united states and all shall follow my imperial decree san franciscans: aw hell yeah sure ok

[@KlearChristal]

lmao

[@hectorbeltran392]

An interesting man

[@christiankneupper7011]

Sounds like the socialist dictatorship of san francisco.

[@stinkygorl5045]

Kate Stahla lmao

[@Matthew-bk2ug]

*friscans

[@TheBeird]

So why hasn't HBO made a mini series about this guy? This is fascinating as hell

[@camerongodsey9847]

Honestly someone needs to snap this up. I’d love to see Netflix snag Austin for an actual series production of ‘really weird’. Would have a ton of longevity and popularity if Vox’s ‘explained’ series are anything to go off of.

[@albanianfish]

Because HBO is a bunch of greedy losers

[@kydsun]

I would definitely make a move if I could

[@snowkatyoutube1419]

Ok

[@frenchjamdawg]

I think he is present in the tv show warrior

[@armorer5868]

"The self-declared Emperor began strolling through the streets of San Francisco, inspecting the conditions of the sidewalks and the cable cars, public buildings, and even ensuring that police officers were making regular public patrols to keep the city safe." The Emperor Protects.

[@austinmcconnell]

Indeed!

[@coreypatton6290]

Armorer 586 FOR THE EMPEROR!

[@The-kr9rb]

When he got arrested, did people say to the officer, *"YOU HERETIC!"*

[@thelastcube.]

I'd legit choose him as a candidate for leadership than any of the people standing today

[@hectorbeltran392]

At least he take care of "his" country

[@MrJoeyWheeler]

You know, it's quite amusing. 'Emperor' Norton was by no means an official ruler of the United States, but if nothing else, he should always be remembered as a king of San Francisco. Or at least some kind of nobility. He created a position for himself and managed to sustain a form of authority there. It's an unconventional method for one to attain power but one can't deny he had it.

[@colby8018]

Damian Freeman and one who didn’t use his “power” for bad. As most I elected officials do.

[@JaedenFX]

He is actually recognised as Emperor of the United States. Emperor Norton 1st.

[@L16htW4rr10r]

@Mr. Graves And might be last.

[@goatskin4487]

He wasn't an unnofical king and regonizing somone as such offically is a dangrous slope against the constitution.

[@goatskin4487]

@Emily Balcer Well most celiberites have respect and love from a large amount of people so that isn't saying much.

[@dojokonojo]

There is a movement in San Francisco to name the Bay Bridge the Emperor Norton Bridge lol

[@onelusciouslad7841]

AND IT SHOULD BE CALLED THAT

[@TheHalcyonAnon]

@@onelusciouslad7841 and the United Nortons

[@mikeeaston4431]

@@TheHalcyonAnon Thank you.

[@pretzelstick320]

Shit I’d be down for that. We already have the robin Williams tunnel.

[@L16htW4rr10r]

@@pretzelstick320 Awesome.

[@thulean.uruk-hai]

A complete lunatic ... and yet 100x better than the vast majority of political candidates. Long live the Emperor.

[@pretzelstick320]

Darin Conard there is a story where he wrote grant a letter, telling him to run the day to day operations of the country. Grant wrote him thanking him for the honor.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Pretzel Stick I’m a bit late, but....that’s the most US Grant thing I’ve ever heard. I believe it.

[@andylines8040]

I love this country sometimes

[@CSLucasEpic]

This man was the Diogenes of his time.

[@guywithphone9222]

*Mad lad

[@adolw3266]

We have a similar guy in my home town, he walks around the streets wearing a colourful sombrero and a matching suit to boot. Every time I see him he wears a different colour, pink, yellow, green, black, red, the list goes on. He’s been around for as long as I can remember, as a child I can recall my school bus driver stoping the bus to give him a lift across town, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve waved in his direction. He’s a friendly chap, I’ve talked with him once or twice, he says his name’s Shanty, that’s what we call him atleast. He’s a local celebrity at this point, I’ve seen him in the papers, I’ve always wondered what his story is.

[@bonhll8070]

Justin Why? Stop being everywhere it’s scaring me.

[@alexwang982]

Why?

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

My astronomy teacher met a guy like that once :)

[@topic260]

Emepeor Shanty

[@ArcanineEspeon]

What town? Any online pictures or articles about Mr. Shanty?

[@DaltonDoesASMR]

He's like a 19th Century meme

[@Skip2MeLou1]

He was a meme before memes were memes

[@Neo2266.]

The word meme is actually thousands of years old, and yes, He literally was a meme. Memes are not a modern thing, they are the ideas of the general public, trends, the public makes them, and yet they control the public. Memes are the DNA of the soul And a living meme can be very powerful (Norton, Trump, Caesar...)

[@aname6104]

Neo2266 I thought kilroy was the first meme

[@Lady_in_the_Radiator]

Neo2266 The word meme isn't thousands of years old; it's exactly 42 years old. The concept it describes may have existed for thousands of years, but that's not the same thing as saying that the word has.

[@MANJYOMETHUNDER111]

'like'? No, he was God Memeporer of the United States.

[@LashanR]

I love local celebrities like this. We have one in Sydney, he's this really old asian man with a long hair and beard who stands on street corners smiling and wearing signs telling people to be happy. He's known as Smile Guy. Proudly voted for him to be in the Senate.

[@kalazakan]

Aww that's so nice.

[@martiqueheisler5959]

Aww, how sweet ^-^

[@dahudlefthanded]

There's a city in Texas where, for the last 20 years, a robed man has spent his days in the middle of a pedestrian bridge across the highway. Holding two staffs aloft, he silently blesses the traffic that flows beneath him. He's getting old now, but I hear he's found a disciple.

[@e4999]

damn in my town we just yell at a guy on a bicycle

[@StylishBuffalo]

In my town there's a dude who rides around on a bike flipping people off, haven't seen him much lately... Wonder if he's alright.

[@corvus1374]

Emperor Norton's tombstone says, "Norton I Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico Joshua A. Norton 1819 - 1880"

[@MarcTelang]

Mexico?

[@corvus1374]

@@MarcTelang yes

[@gwest3644]

@@corvus1374 He declared himself the Protector of Mexico after Napoleon III invaded Mexico in 1863.

[@flozikthasapeson9725]

This would be a great heartwarming movie

[@DankGank]

I am writing a play about him.

[@hazardouscube0878]

@@TwistVisuals How?

[@yuvalsela4482]

@@TwistVisuals have you wached the video?!

[@dandanthedandan7558]

Twist Visuals Watch till the end

[@L16htW4rr10r]

@@TwistVisuals That is not true.

[@gwenramsey9936]

"I've met a lot of kings, and emperors and heads of state in my time, Joshua. I've met them all. And you know something? I think I liked you best." -Death from The Sandman

[@SeresTheZocker]

Someone seems to have good taste

[@emilianorios4761]

@Mase Swoo Its from a comoc

[@couldntthink]

Sandman was actually how I first learned about Emperor Norton

[@L16htW4rr10r]

What is the movie called?

[@nerd_mus]

@@L16htW4rr10r it's a comic called The Sandman, there is an issue (Vol 2 #31) dedicated to Joshua Norton

[@dulguunmurunbarsbold210]

I'm not even American and i would proudly have him be my Emperor.

[@99dazemusic]

Well, he wasn’t even American, i guess respect can come from nowhere.

[@Mitchthemysteryman]

@@99dazemusiche’s at LEAST an honorary American

[@Skiman601]

I declare.... BANKRUPTCY!!!

[@captaindanman7525]

When Joshua Norton gets into trouble he transfers his debt to William Charles Schneider.

[@CharlesB9496]

I didn’t say it, I declared it.

[@bungbloopity]

r/unexpectedoffice

[@BrokenEyes00]

I would totally support Emperor Michael Scott the first, the Empress Holly... and I suppose the assistant to the emperor Dwight Shroot.

[@deutan4390]

*Jurrasic Park Music*

[@perplexingpantheon]

I'd like to highlight that the $25 fine back then in 1872 would be about $500, now. Imagine being fined $500 for saying frisco!

[@Aleks6010]

if you sang a song about frisco you'd go bankrupt pretty quickly

[@perplexingpantheon]

Al Eks Just wait for someone to announce themselves as the 2nd emporer of the United States trying to enforce that, after watching this video.

[@lukejohns5900]

its still justified

[@blue_pingu]

Perplexing Pantheon I'm on it

[@imaginaryboy2000]

That'll be $500 dollars, please.

[@misterbubbles6389]

"Mister Norton has shed no blood, robbed no one, and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line." Long live Emperor Norton

[@ennui9745]

Yup. Way more than can be said about other emperors.

[@oddtail_tiger]

Here's the thing. Emperor Norton had more legitimacy as a ruler than many, many kings and emperors throughout history. Possibly most. In the end, for all of human history people who have ruled over others only did so because others acknowledged their right to do so. But much of the time, this acknowledgment only came from other people in power, or came out of fear of a military. Emperor Norton actually enjoyed popular support, even on a local scale to the extent that businesses, cultural establishments and the friggin' POLICE bent to what he wanted. He had more of a claim to his title, ethically, than most people in actual positions of power. Plus, insane as he may have been, he was an actual thoughtful, considerate and benevolent ruler. Again, better than most. Sure, he didn't actually RULE the US or even San Francisco, but he counts as a ruler of a sort of mini-nation of his "subjects", and I'm only half-joking here.

[@Wynnie1121]

This dude is one of the greatest monarchs in history and easily my favorite. And no one will ever convince me that he wasn't a monarch

[@psycholaw4394]

Fun fact Hawai recognised Norton as the usa legitimate ruler and ignored the other government lol

[@samuelwoodouse4482]

Can i get a sourse PsychoLaw

[@bebus6884]

@@psycholaw4394 Yes that was in the video

[@davilox07_15]

Emperor Norton became a respected man/meme in the 19th century. May he rest in peace

[@patriot483Channel3939]

Stop playing dumass gun game

[@3seven5seven1nine9]

Did Norton's parents have any other siblings? Did they have siblings? Did their siblings have kids? The succession has to go somewhere

[@ovni2295]

I think the Emperor would have preferred meritocratic succession rather than bloodline succession.

[@benjaminnewlon7865]

@@ovni2295 nudge nudge wink wink

[@christophershatzer5803]

I think some drag queens kind of revitalized it in 1964. The current claimant is Nicole Murray-Rodriguez, iirc.

[@ArcanineEspeon]

@@christophershatzer5803 I'm too tired to even consider whether you're being serious or not...

[@ArcanineEspeon]

@Madden Bain That's interesting. How did you find that out?

[@bearyboy9088]

San Francisco is weird

[@shrine793]

African_Child_labour_worker not a shithole, it’s just liberal

[@AlphoxHD]

*'frisco

[@mg-ve2zf]

literally where else but san francisco would this occur

[@ponyman13]

YOU ARE WEIRD EMPEROR NORTON IS EMPEROR

[@sparksthedaytrader9606]

Beary Boy I wouldn't love it any other way.

[@cynicalkiwi9366]

He memed himself into power. Where have I seen that before?

[@GummyDinosaursify]

Robbie Rotten for President 2020

[@notclone1256]

@@GummyDinosaursify he just died...

[@thetman0068]

He must've had dirt on the Clintons.

[@hambro0357]

Probably jfk

[@morganrobinson8042]

Bite your tongue! No president wields as much power with as much mercy as Emperor Norton. The comparison is frankly insulting on every level.

[@luketfer]

You know what I've literally JUST realized...that G from Street Fighter (who proclaims himself the President of Earth despite no authority backing him), whose win quotes are generally considered some of the most polite and helpful out of all the cast, is based on this dude...someone at Capcom actually did some deep level research.

[@The_LORD_saves]

What's the name of the charater? Just curious

[@bluishwolf]

@@The_LORD_saves G

[@The_LORD_saves]

@@bluishwolf 👍

[@stagelinedpro]

Real life Don Quixote.

[@judahtirona9487]

StageLined one who is less tragic and more loved, which is good because I can't stand the thought of an old man getting beaten up

[@_Dogbeard_]

Woah woah woah back it up... King Kamehameha? That's badass.

[@Alaryk111]

he is a playable character.

[@OdaSwifteye]

Must be Master Roshi's teacher.

[@sammarino7357]

Did you know that’s actually the person the thing was named after

[@littleaqua32]

sam marino Yeah, Akira Toriyama's wife was an historian i believe and he took inspiration for the iconic dragon ball move from her

[@_Dogbeard_]

@@littleaqua32 So cool! Awesome thing to learn :)

[@MYG]

I'd already heard about this but you put a lot more detail in the story so thank you.

[@nathangrabowski7338]

Bronze WALUIGI FOR SMASH ULTIMATE

[@joeyossia2827]

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@PenguinDrawz]

Yeah

[@zfish1995]

Salmonella

[@zacharywheat6371]

Emperor Norton reminds me so much of Waluigi

[@HattieMcDanielonaMoon]

May God bless his soul.

[@3seven5seven1nine9]

One of those people whose drive you just have to respect

[@Pleasestoptalkingthanks]

The man was buried on a Sunday and a friggin eclipse happened the next day, he definitely pulled some favors lol.

[@c.johnson1408]

He ded fam

[@vizthex]

and his small loan of a million dollars

[@TheWazzoGames]

May his soul rest easy in the heaveans above.

[@okayfj4106]

"Even a man with self-appointed power can have that power if all others are willing to give it to him" is powerful and proof that Austin McConnel is modern-day aristotle

[@gavind351]

The only difference is that aristotle was a moron

[@TheGlob420]

Either this man was the definition of "fake it till you make it" or he was a just crazy

[@thekrackenx]

Of the United States

[@rana4410]

Both

[@beesonpluto]

The absolute madlad

[@treeman12815]

no he was just an absolute chad

[@RunePrivacy]

This made me cry at the end

[@TheFreeman426]

This man was actually a living meme, God bless you Emperor Norton

[@shader1xderp778]

All hail the emperor.

[@casualbird7671]

The man emperor of mankind

[@carlost856]

@Tiwaking Tiwaking than "bone spurred" coward would never have the balls to put himself between a mob and innocents. Heck if anything he would be rallying the mob.

[@lordtachanka903]

Shader1X Derp what about me?

[@lostbbqproductions6263]

There was a similar man in pre-WWI Germany, though not on such a large scale. His name was Wilhelm Voigt and he pretended to be a Prussian military officer with the various military clothing he purchased from different stores. He actually commanded a number of soldiers and stole around 4,000 marks. He was imprisoned at first but the general public was on his side so he was pardoned by the Kaiser (Wilhelm II) . He actually went on some tours around Germany and Canada (he wasn't able to in the US because they denied him a visa), and got a wax figure at Madame Tussaud's. The famous German playwright Carl Zuckmayer wrote a play on him in the 1930s that has been adapted into a film three or four different times.

[@BellaCiaoCinemaGaming]

HE MADE IT ILLEGAL TO CALL SAN FRANCISCO "FRISCO" I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT DUMB NICK NAME WAS AROUND BACK THEN, HE'S THE ULTIMATE MADLAD (us SF people HATE that people who say "frisco" it's hilarious that our hatred has such a deep origin and legal backing hahaha)

[@surajeswaran635]

@Vishal Singh oh you’re from frisco aswell?

[@Squifum]

We get it. you’re from San Francisco

[@thinker1137]

@@surajeswaran635 Burn in hell

[@revanhaq247]

We get it, you're from frisco

[@rdubby1102]

For people about to say he copied Sam o Nella, just because they both covered it doesn’t make it a copy. Both are great videos. While Sam’s video was great, Austin is much more detailed.

[@jimothyhasleftthechat2667]

rdubby Exactly! Sam definitely focuses more on comedy and summarizing, but Austin tends to go in depth. When he finds an interesting string of facts, he chases it.

[@rdubby1102]

Lottie Thank you!

[@_M4X15]

Lottie maybe he was inspired

[@pissfrog]

rdubby austin sure does coincidentally cover quite a lot of topics just a few weeks after other youtubers

[@stephenheirtzler]

Emma Rose There are so many KZbinrs out there that it is inevitable someone else will have covered the same topic recently.

[@shards-of-glass-man]

After Sam'O'Nella's video: Wow, this guy was a hilarious loony! After Austin Mc Connell's video: Ow, my heart...

[@queenbeebuzz5075]

IKR 😭

[@arandombard1197]

I think in our insane world, maybe he was the only true sane person. Perhaps the people of San Francisco recognized that.

[@axthla]

Were just normally sane. Norton was SUPER-SANE

[@smolneko9294]

from memory, in psych super-sanity can literally be considered insanity. the joker from the dc comics is under this iirc, but there are a few others irl that fit the bill.

[@noriakiboi2452]

He wanted to abolish the republicans and the Democrats. how sane can you get?

[@ASWE15]

I cried while watching this Indeed a great man

[@kolbalt8121]

MYK same

[@mechajay3358]

Hey Austinn, You and Sam are now apart of Emperor Norton's Wikipedia.

[@wanderinghistorian]

For all those insisting Austin "copied" Sam, I encourage you to go to the book store and look up any historical topic. You'll see dozens of authors writing books about the exact same subject! What is this? Copycats? No, its how History works. Many people doing investigations and presentations to get many different points of view. You can't copycat Historical reviews, otherwise us historians are all out of a job, since everything's been mostly covered by someone else already.

[@codekillerz5392]

Jason Fucking thank you

[@colinplante8980]

Although, if you watch both videos, some of the things they say are exactly the same. This video didn't add much to Sam's but if you haven't, then just watch both

[@zacmerrifield8662]

@@colinplante8980 actually Austin added much more detail, dramatic effect, personal touches, accurate history, information, and his is just altogether more refined that Sam's is. Watch Austin's first then watch Sam's and pin the information Sam missed.

[@arfn1973]

Jason? More alike Nun.

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

San Francisco... the Florida of California...

[@baron8107]

Florida doesn't deal with feces all over the streets.

[@temiajuwon8893]

what does that even mean?

[@nedisahonkey]

Nope. That'd be Fresno, Modesto or Stockton. Basically anywhere in in the in the San joaquin Valley. It's hot, flat, full of tweakers and crazy people.

[@avoqado89]

That makes no sense.

[@ananimeplace.3808]

Trygve Plaustrum you know what

[@JustinY.]

Austin is Sam O'nella confirmed

[@milla8632]

Hey there buckaroo

[@sukhrajsingh466]

There he is

[@birdman4885]

Justin Y. How is it that you watch the exact same content as I do

[@NYGJMAP]

I hope this gets no likes and you're forced to delete it hehehe

[@polyp2910]

I'm afraid not

[@misterbubbles6389]

140 years later and he's still one of the greatest men to ever be called emperor

[@spazzmatron5487]

Fun fact: the game “West of Loathing” has a location called ‘Frisco’, and upon entering the town, a man named Norton fights your player, calling himself “Emperor Norton”. Hilarious, random reference that makes the game much more fun to play.

[@DollyBoy_1923]

As soon as I saw this video, it made me think about Emperor Norton and his ant-eye virus dust. Gosh, that was a fun game.

[@trolater2935]

I feel like you and Sam O Nella probably heard about this at the same time in a reddit TIL or something haha

[@MaxRamos8]

Hence Norton Antivirus

[@Olivia-ot6up]

GOD PROTECT EMPEROR NORTON I, ELECTED BY HIS HOLY GRACE TO RULE THESE HERE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND PROTECTOR OF MEXICO. MAY HIS RULE LAST LONG AND MAY THESE NATIONS PROSPER

[@SheerSniper7]

The fact they didn't name the street he died on "Norton Street" is honestly a crime

[@starsymphonies]

Wow, people are actually becoming smart. Haven't seen a single accusation of him copying Sam O'Nella.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

The Sarcasm is strong with this one

[@kaiden7063]

@Know One you sound like you have a lot of friends and definitely aren't lonely

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

I am become deph.

[@starsymphonies]

@Know One imagine crying over spelling mistakes and simultaneously typing "everyone" in two words

[@starsymphonies]

@@v.emiltheii-nd.8094 I hope you get beter.

[@ragzaugustus]

Long live Norton the First, Emperor of the United States of America and Lord Protector of Mexico!

[@CoolStoryBro20XD6]

Absolute mad lad

[@アシュリーメイ]

"The light went out in San Francisco" hit me hard.

[@chaoscat8206]

I've heard this story before, but damn, I don't know what it was about the way you presented it, but I cried. Well done, Austin, well done.

[@rodigoduterte9192]

I feel dejavu about emperor norton

[@galer71]

probably from Sam O'Nella Academy

[@lukassiu]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@JordanService]

me too

[@engee8606]

Hi tito digong! Musta naman doon sa pinas?

[@Kjersten_w]

You must've been him in a past life

[@jtaylor4817]

Shout out to everyone who saw Sam's video about this subject, and didn't call this one a copy simply because it covers the same topic. P.S. Great video Austin, I think you did great covering this topic in a detailed manner. I look forward to more Really Weird History

[@eckmann88]

Simply amazing. I had heard of Norton but never in this much depth. Well done! I hope you’re starting the screenplay.

[@rowandunning6877]

I didn't realize I needed a movie about this till now

[@michaelcorbalis9860]

Someone call Lin Manuel Miranda

[@kirinbo115]

Mickey Corbalis HONESTLY PLEASE THO

[@kylynangela1236]

@linmanuelmiranda

[@nickjeffrey8050]

Man this got me feeling all kinds of sadness 😢 a man be it insane or not went above and beyond to make San Francisco a better place for everyone, the amount of people at his funeral proves how loved and respected he was! Thank you for sharing your video

[@CGPMAD]

This is literally one of your best works. Thank you!

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

Everybody understands Mickey Mouse. Few understand Hermann Hesse. Only a handful understood Albert Einstein. And nobody understood Emperor Norton.

[@Apollo-gp5vm]

How could a mere mortal understand a God?

[@layoverbear]

Man I almost shed a tear at the end. I absolutely love this series, it’s beautiful work, as always.

[@_knighted]

Our city used to be cooler; what happened?

[@matthewmcgowan5774]

Global warming

[@ryanmcsharry9405]

The stupid price to live here, there are a lot of homeless people.

[@GoronTico]

After hearing the history from sam o'nella it is really refreshing to learn about it from a serious perspective Nice video!

[@trashtrash2777]

Austin you are going nuts with the posts! You go man!

[@austinmcconnell]

Thanks, man. It's been a slog this past month, but I'm getting better about handling the workload. I might scale back in September to give myself a break.

[@trashtrash2777]

austinmcconnell no problem! You definitely deserve a break. Thanks for the great content austin.

[@YoElementalGPU]

Yes, Sam O'Nella did a video on this man. No, it's definitely NOT the same video. Both have their merits (and you should watch both), Sam's is funnier, Austin's is more thorough. There are hundreds of thousands of videos covering the same topics. Grow up.

[@rdubby1102]

YoElementalGPU thank you!

[@michaelgoldband34]

Oh yea me to

[@ThePreciseClimber]

More thorough? He skipped the part where Norton drank Fuckitol™.

[@saintbrodee8021]

Goddamnit it people, just because Sam did a TLDR about it doesn't mean no one else can even talk about the Rightful Ruler of Our United States.

[@GoddessCynthia]

An old crazy man, stood between an angry mob and a small group of demonized innocents. Can we just acknowledge how amazing this is? Especially for back then?

[@hagamapama]

It was the act of a true emperor. Truly he deserved a royal title more than most who had stronger claims to one.

[@alanwatts8239]

Random hobo: Hey guys i'm now your emperor San Francisco: Ok

[@BloodRider1914]

How can one video about a crazy guy in Northern California make me feel so many emotions. Good job

[@sirsalmonater8734]

Please do more stuff like this. I love the way you tell these storys!!

[@tristanw4151]

Guys Austin probably researched this at the same time as Sam. This video is much more detailed and Austin’s vids come out at a far longer rate than Sam’s

[@arandomguyontheinternet3839]

Lol I instantly remembered sam's video when I heard that the man's name was norton. Not hating Sam, but this is clearly the better video on the man.

[@rdubby1102]

Micha Tadema same here

[@flemes9615]

Look ... he has a reputation of getting things wrong and even just taking whole lines from other sources so this didnt surprise me. Just enjoy the info i guess

[@tyleranderson3178]

I still like Sam’s better.

[@NikyCROW]

He probably started before Sam too, quality is too high boi

[@bertowiseguy]

I’ve watched this video 2-3 times since it’s been out (Austin’s videos are great to have in the background while I work, cook or write) so I’m familiar with this pretty well now. That’s why it shocked me so much when I open my new copy of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and find a short story about this dude Norton. (It’s called Three September’s and a January and it’s GREAT). It made me appreciate the story a lot more because of this video. Good stuff and good work, Austin.

[@Nova7o9]

This is still one of my favorite Austin McConnell videos. 🥰 Popped up on my recommended randomly today so I'm watching again just for the fun of it.

[@CryptidCountdown]

The 3 best men. Bob Ross, Mr. Rogers and the Emporer of the United States.

[@poprocks6576]

may they all rest in peace

[@gunslingingbird74]

What the fuck is an emporer? 🙄

[@Peter-xm3ol]

Those Chinese immigrants must have been really confused when a homeless looking guy shows up and stops the mob just by reciting scripture.

[@mackk123]

"frisco" bums back then: i am emperor, lets fix the city. bums now: i am the emperor, let me poop on wherever

[@ClassicPessi]

To be real, yes, he probably was mentally ill in some way. But can we just appreciate how unbelievably wholesome it is, that all these official entities and the public gave him the life he wanted and granted his dreamworld into excistence instead of putting him away? He made the world better for the people around him.

[@TylerB-my1kr]

The craziest thing is this dude made his own currency and that somehow worked and held its on value . That's some next level stuff

[@johnathonhaney8291]

Emperor Norton is one of my favorite historical figures. I first ran into him in Paradox Press' lovely collection The Big Book of Weirdoes and then fell in love with his myth thanks to Neil Gaiman's Sandman story "Three Septembers And A January". Thanks for filling in more details!

[@dans6046]

This was an absolutely incredible video! Wow, brilliant! I can't wait for the next one oh my word. Please keep making such amazing content, you're a brilliant KZbin channel. I love how interesting you can make things, wether it's boring of fascinating, you can always make it so much more than that, you're just incredible!

[@akhilesh368]

My 6th grade writing teacher told us about how he went to see this man's grave.

[@JustCallMeAlex]

Your ability to bring out the interesting side of stuff, is why your channel is and will continue to be my favorite on this site. Rock on

[@el_jambon9002]

Man you really know how to tell stories ! These videos are a real pleasure to watch ! thanks for making them !

[@flamingythermit314]

This is the equivalent of when a pro wrestler returns from injury with a very odd gimmick, but somehow gets super over. P.S I am now officially the Lord of Canada. I'll be sworn in on the 32nd of Octembuary.

[@zyderox6466]

@Solar Dwarf Canada? What is that?

[@sondushussein1679]

I love how there are more comments about people saying he copied Sam than comments actually saying he copied Sam.

[@hazardousteam2899]

Samonella adds the humor, Austin brings the facts.

[@lithauth5180]

HazardousTeam Salmonella

[@undertheredhair1209]

Samonella?

[@lithauth5180]

it's a reference to some youtuber called salmonella except he wrote it wrong, like the bacteria samonella

[@Thia28]

Honestly got choked up a bit at the end, there. He may have died in poverty, but he was rich in the love of his community. Rest in Peace, Emperor. 🙏🏻

[@user-it6gl1vv7v]

the minimalist stile and the awe for this man which carried over in your voice really hit home on this on. I was legit crying at the end

[@iterativegrowth]

The original living meme.

[@SlicerFragZ]

I heard about this before but not eclipse part that's really interesting

[@TJtheBee]

This makes me kinda sad; whether he was mad or not, he made a lot of people happy and made a big difference. I’m glad that people could recognize that in the end.

[@aceangel825]

Dang I’m not gonna lie, I got emotional at the “and just like that, the light went out in San Francisco.” Wasn’t expecting that lol

[@deusvult5405]

An absolute joy to watch. This is such a quality video and thank you for sharing this.

[@austinmcconnell]

Thanks! I spent a lot of time on it.

[@holybodega]

As people are continuously talking about Sam O'Nella and debating on who knows what, I would like to point out this is in depth and more heartfelt piece than Sam's. If you're looking for a no emotion attached comedic TL;DR, watch Sam's video plain and simple. This is a deep dive on a person of history with a sympathetic backing. It's still not the deepest dive, but Austin goes decently in depth about a man not much is known about. I greatly appreciate and enjoyed both videos. I personally loved to see the other more sympathetic view a person could give towards Norton. In my opinion, watch both. They both guide you down a story in very different lights to help you collect your feelings without having to delve into your own research.

[@liamryan7239]

Mol the Smol But Sam is funny so I give the edge to him.

[@holybodega]

I love both videos. Sam's great, and I've been a fan for quite a bit now. Your opinion on which video is more likable is just chucked up to what you enjoy. If you like one more than the other or the other not at all, so be it. I can't help that's just your preference. Austin's video is more fitting to my liking. I love both videos, and I love both creators, but they are tailored for two different audiences (not really in an overall sense, but for this series the target audience is definitely different). That was my point. Neither video is better. Both had an effort, both were more than well put together, and the differences in the outlook and overall feel make them barely comparable in my opinion. You can compare them all you want, but it's kind of a waste of time.

[@habeebaelwalily3081]

I agree.

[@SickOfBreathing]

For a fantastic personal and slightly supernatural re-telling of this story, I have to recommend the Sandman one-shot written by Neil Gaiman titled "Three Septembers and a January". It's not as informative as this video, but it's a very well-told story.

[@peterpansplayground]

I dunno why I teared up from when Emperor Norton started saying the Lord's Prayer.. what a beloved man! what a touching story!

[@bffavel]

hey guys. sam doesn't own history. this certain topic being done by someone else doesn't make this topic theirs and theirs alone. sheesh. it'd be really demotivating to have a bunch of people try to call you out for copying, despite the video being presented completely different and you putting in a lot of effort, so please don't.

[@liamryan7239]

Sam should own history. He deserves it. So does Austin though.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

History is owned by no one.

[@liamryan7239]

Neurofied Yamato This is what you call a ioke

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

A very bad one

[@liamryan7239]

Neurofied Yamato OOOOOHHHHH DAMMN WAS MY JOKES JUST INSULTED? WOWSERS IM SO HURT

[@LaineyBug2020]

I don't know why, but this one always makes me cry. You're an amazing storyteller...

[@zakb6]

We had two guys similar to Emperor Norton in my home town growing up. Bruce and Kelly, Bruce had been in a car accident a ways back and lost a lot fine motor control and the ability to speak more than a few words. But he walked around town, attended almost every home sporting event and never hesitated to tell off the local hooligans whenever they were being hooligans. He occasionally would ask for help when walking across the street but other than that he was reasonably self sufficient. Kelly was a nosy, loud fat asshole who everyone tolerated because he was definetly on the spectrum. But he did a good job in logging town history though. He was like our local historian. Anyways. It seems like every town has that one or two beloved eccentric character.