This all started for me when I was looking up my Dad, God rest his soul, who passed away a good many years ago, but had been an RAF Flight Engineer during WW2. I had recently come across a briefcase in my loft that had been his, and amongst all the incomprehensible paperwork (some of it was stamped ‘Secret’, which automatically makes you open it doesn’t it), was some stuff from his uniform - buttons, stripes, medals, that sort of thing - and I was curious to see what he had actually done during the war, as he never talked about it.

Anyway, I digress. I then idly type in a few famous names, people known for their writing skills, or acting abilities – even my dentist for heaven’s sake - just to read their back history. Who knew that Sam Cody, a famous air pioneer who designed and built the first British airship, was originally from the USA and had formerly been a Wild West showman? Well, you live and learn.

Am I famous?

So, I type in my own name. Goodness, there are loads of people with my name! I must be famous for that alone! The first reference that came up was an obituary – and I started to panic that I had died and nobody had told me, but it wasn’t me. I peered anxiously at her image – no, it definitely wasn’t me. In fact, there were quite a few who are no longer with us. Another was a pottery artist – not me either. There seem to be several professionals on LinkedIn with my name, but disappointingly, no references to anyone by my name on ‘Wikipedia’.

Credits: Unsplash;

Who’s Who Book

You don’t hear much about this these days (and I am probably not in that either), but Who's Who is a reference work that lists and describes people from around the world who originally influenced British life at the time, and provides biographical information from all areas of society, including details not only of their careers, but also their family, education, recreations and clubs.

I imagined this to be an ancient tome, probably a massive thing, leather with gold lettering, and would appear on the bookshelves of some famous library somewhere. I was disappointed to find it was a very ordinary-looking book, and in fact has blossomed into several editions, one for the UK, one for the USA, and various others, like ’Who’s Who in Asia’, or ‘Who’s Who in Science and Engineering’. It was originally published in 1849 by A.C. Black and was an almanac with lists of titled people, but did not include full biographies until 1897.

Individuals become eligible for listing by virtue of their positions and/or noteworthy achievements that have proved to be of significant value to society. You can’t just write in and ask to have your name added, as that isn’t a sufficient reason for inclusion. The book is still published today, and is apparently available online these days too.

So, I am not dead or famous

I suppose both are good things, certainly the former, and the latter means that I can walk around the streets without a pair of sunglasses or a hat to disguise myself, but nor do I have an entourage of helpers and fixers trailing behind me. The downside is I am not rich, staggering to the bank with my pockets bulging with money. But I don’t lose sleep worrying about it either.

Fame or Money

These two don’t always go hand in hand, and the debate over what matters more in life — fame or money — is as old as time. But there’s an old Japanese proverb that says: ‘Money grows on the tree of persistence’ – so maybe there’s hope for me getting one or the other!