On September 17th, 1859, bankrupt businessman Joshua Abraham Norton walked into the offices of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin and published a proclamation in which he delared himself "Emperor of the United States." For over twenty years, until his death on January 8th, 1880, Emperor Norton was a beloved fixture of San Francisco. Among other things, he is credited with proposing and outlining the concept for the Bay Bridge. #EmperorNorton #NortontheFirst #SanFrancisco #BayBridge #Emperor