Famous Fictional Folks

The Observation Tower at the top of Petrin Hill in Prague is a 200 foot tall miniature version of the Eiffel Tower. In the base of the tower you will find the Museum of Jára Cimrman, who was voted “Greatest Czech of All Time” in a 2005 Czech Poll.

Cimrman "was one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives and sportsmen of the 19th and early 20th century" (Wikipedia). In addition to helping design the Effiel Tower and rewriting a Checkov play, Radio Praha reports his "achievements include proposing the construction of the Panama Canal to the Americans, inventing the light bulb and then getting to the patent office five minutes too late to register it, and even making it to within seven metres of the North Pole before being chased away at the last minute by a starving tribe of Native Americans." (Link).

The results of the poll rather irritated Czech Television, sponsor of the contest, which declared him ineligible. The producers had been rather thinking of real people instead of Cimrman, a fictional character who first appeared in a 1967 satirical radio play.

Speaking of fictional people, a new book is out entitled The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived: How Characters of Fiction, Myth, Legends, Television, and Movies Have Shaped Our Society, Changed Our Behavior, and Set the Course of History. Some notable fictional characters include:
Robinson Crusoe
Oedipus
Hester Prynne
G.I. Joe
Rosie the Riveter

(You'll have to check out their web site to see where these rank in the top 50. USA Today has a story on the list entitled "They Were Never Born, but They'll Live Forever." They also provide the complete list.)