Emperor Norton

We all remember the days sitting through history class learning about all the presidents in the short history of the United States. We learned all about each of these presidents and the things they did while in office. However, there's a good chance you were not taught about the first and only Emperor of the United States. In 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton laid claim to the position of Emperor of the United States of America. Now before you assume this was just the meaningless musings of the town drunk, you should know that he was actually sort of recognized as Emperor. He had enacted a few laws adhered to by the public, the police saluted him on sight, and he had strong diplomatic relationships with government officials in more than one international province. This is the unbelievable tale of Joshua Norton, Emperor of the United States.