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160 years ago to the day, Joshua Abraham Norton, a recently bankrupted businessman in San Francisco, declared himself "Norton I, Emperor of these United States" 1/ 
Born in England, raised in South Africa, the future Emperor Norton sailed to San Francisco in 1849. Through commodities trading and real estate speculation, he turned a $40K inheritance into a massive fortune. By 1852, he was one of the richest, most respected men in the city. 2/
However, Norton lost his whole fortune on an ill-fated attempt to corner the market on rice in San Francisco, and was left literally penniless and living in a flophouse by 1858. 3/
After disappearing from the public eye for a few years, Norton reemerged on September 17, 1859, visiting various San Francisco newspapers to deliver a proclamation declaring himself "Norton I, Emperor of these United States" 4/
Emperor Norton soon became a beloved local celebrity in San Francisco. He spent his days inspecting the streets and public infrastructure, dressed in a military style uniform with brass buttons and epaulettes, and wearing one of his array of impressive hats. 5/
He issued a series of far-sighted imperial proclamations and decrees, calling the abolition of Congress and political parties, urging the protection of immigrants, and repeatedly demanding the construction of a bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland. 6/
Norton also issued his own currency, in the form of 10-year notes ranging from 50 cents to $10, promising a fictitious interest rate of 7%. Amazingly, this currency was accepted at many of San Francisco's finest restaurants (at least when offered by Emperor Norton himself). 7/
Restaurants that accepted the currency would be "granted" the right to post a plaque stating "By Appointment to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Norton I of the United States,” which many proudly did. Some of these plaques could still be seen decades after Norton died. 8/
In 1863, Emperor Norton's purview expanded when French Emperor Napoleon III invaded Mexico. Outraged, Emperor Norton demanded the French withdraw, and added "Protector of Mexico" to his official title. 9/
Because Emperor Norton was given so much free food by the citizens of San Francisco, he was often accompanied by two stray dogs, to whom he fed table scraps. The press nicknamed the dog "Bummer" and "Lazarus." When the dogs later died, they were given elaborate funerals. /10
Like the Silicon Valley tech bros who would one day take over his city, Emperor Norton was fascinated by technology and innovation, and one of his favorite haunts was the Mechanic's Institute and Library. Here he is trying out the latest mechanical craze - the velocipede. 11/
In 1872, Emperor Norton allegedly issued one of his most beloved proclamations, criminalizing the use of the term "Frisco" to refer to San Francisco, as being "without linguistic or other warrant." 12/
Emperor Norton's time as Emperor of America was not entirely without hiccups, however. In 1867, the Emperor was arrested by an overzealous policeman who for some reason claimed he was insane and tried to have him committed to a mental institute. 13/
His arrest sparked a public outcry, with the newspaper Daily Alta editorializing that among the world's emperors, Norton "had shed no blood; robbed no one; and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line." 14/
Eventually, Police Chief Patrick Crowley was forced to release Norton and issue a public apology on behalf of the police. Norton graciously issued an Imperial Pardon to the arresting officer, and thereafter police officers were required to salute Norton whenever he passed by. 15/
After 21 years of eventful yet benevolent "reign," Emperor Norton collapsed and died on the street in 1880. Local businessmen paid for his casket and the city paid for his funeral. His cortege was two miles long and as many as 30,000 mourners attended. 16/
Today the memory of America's first and only Emperor lives on, especially in San Francisco, which just held a citywide celebration of his 200th birthday in 2018, and where you can see people dressed up like Emperor Norton at various places or occasions related to his life. 17/
Emperor Norton also lives on in popular culture, where he was the direct inspiration for the character of the King in Mark Twain's novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and he made a brief but memorable appearance in Neil Gaiman's graphic novel "Sandman." 18/18
