List of fictitious people
Encyclopedia
This article lists the fictitious people, i.e., nonexistent people, which, unlike fictional people
, are those somebody has claimed to actually exist. Usually this is done as a practical joke
or hoax
, but sometimes fictitious people are 'created' as part of a fraud
. Sometimes the line between the two categories is blurred, e.g., as in the case of Abdul Alhazred
. A pseudonym
may also be considered by some to be a "fictitious person", although this is not the correct definition.
s supplied with a biography suggesting the existence of a person distinct from the actual person with the pseudonym in question, often with the purpose of a hoax.
See also :Category:Collective pseudonyms (many of them were not claimed as "real" people).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, are those somebody has claimed to actually exist. Usually this is done as a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
or hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
, but sometimes fictitious people are 'created' as part of a fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
. Sometimes the line between the two categories is blurred, e.g., as in the case of Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. He is the so-called "Mad Arab" credited with authoring the imaginary book Kitab al-Azif , and as such an integral part of Cthulhu Mythos lore....
. A pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
may also be considered by some to be a "fictitious person", although this is not the correct definition.
Hoaxes
- William AshblessWilliam AshblessWilliam Ashbless is a fictional poet, invented by fantasy writers James Blaylock and Tim Powers.Ashbless was invented by Powers and Blaylock when they were students at Cal State Fullerton in the early 1970s, originally as a reaction to the low quality of the poetry being published in the school...
, a 19th-century fictitious poet and adventurer - Bilitis, nonexistent Ancient Greek poet. Supposed author of The Songs of Bilitis, a collection of erotic poetry "discovered" by Pierre LouÿsPierre LouÿsPierre Louÿs was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who "expressed pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection."-Life:...
. - Harry Q. Bovik, eternal Carnegie MellonCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
computer science researcher - George P. BurdellGeorge P. BurdellGeorge P. Burdell is a fictitious student officially enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1927 as a practical joke. Since then, he has supposedly received several degrees, served in the military, gotten married, and served on Mad magazine's Board of Directors, among other accomplishments. Burdell at one...
, eternal Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of TechnologyThe Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
student - Eddie BurrupEddie BurrupEddie Burrup was an Indigenous Australian pseudonym of Anglo-Australian painter Elizabeth Durack.Pictures, photographs and writings of Eddie Burrup begun to appear in 1994. Burrup was supposedly a former farm worker who was born 1915 in Western Australia and had begun to paint later in life. He...
, fake Australian aboriginal painter - Allegra ColemanAllegra ColemanAllegra Coleman was a fictional celebrity invented by writer Martha Sherrill for the purposes of a hoax magazine article. Model Ali Larter portrayed the imaginary model in Sherrill's feature which appeared in Esquire .- History :...
, nonexistent supermodel - Tom Collins, fictitious gossip and namesake of the gin-and-lemon-based cocktail.
- Helen Demidenko, nonexistent Ukrainian author, created by Australian writer Helen DarvilleHelen DarvilleHelen Dale , also known as Helen Darville and Helen Demidenko, is an Australian writer and lawyer.While studying English literature at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, she wrote The Hand that Signed the Paper, a novel about a Ukrainian family who become both bystanders and perpetrators...
- Frederick R. Ewing, nonexistent author of I, Libertine
- Anthony Godby JohnsonAnthony Godby JohnsonAnthony Godby Johnson is the subject and supposed author of the 1993 memoir A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story. Subsequent investigations suggest that there may have never been a person by this name, and that his entire story was a fabrication on the part of Vicki Johnson, the...
, (probably) fictitious author of Rock and a Hard Place : One Boy's Triumphant Story - KilroyKilroy was hereKilroy was here is an American popular culture expression, often seen in graffiti. Its origins are debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle—a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with the fingers of each hand clutching the wall—is widely known among U.S...
, a nonexistent legendary World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
US army major who inspired millions during the war and became part of American popular culturePopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
. - Ern MalleyErn MalleyErnest Lalor "Ern" Malley was a fictitious poet and the central figure in Australia's most celebrated literary hoax. The poet, and his entire body of work, were created in one day in 1944 by writers James McAuley and Harold Stewart as a hoax on Max Harris, Angry Penguins, the modernist magazine he...
, nonexistent Australian poet, created by Australian poets James McAuleyJames McAuleyJames Phillip McAuley was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, literary critic and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism.-Life and career:...
and Harold StewartHarold StewartHarold Frederick Stewart was an Australian poet and oriental scholar. He is chiefly remembered as the enigmatic other half of Ern Malley.Stewart's work has been associated with James McAuley and A. D... - Piotr ZakPiotr ZakPiotr Zak is the name of a fictional Polish composer whose alleged composition Mobile for Tape and Percussion was broadcast twice on the BBC Third Programme on June 5, 1961 in a performance supposedly played by 'Claude Tessier' and 'Anton Schmidt'....
, nonexistent Polish composer, created for a BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme by Hans KellerHans KellerHans Keller was an influential Austrian-born British musician and writer who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as being an insightful commentator on such disparate fields as psychoanalysis and football...
and others - Georg Paul ThomannGeorg Paul ThomannGeorg Paul Thomann , purported to be a renowned Austrian conceptual artist of the late 20th century. In reality, he was the fictitious creation of the Austrian art group monochrom...
, nonexistent Austrian conceptual artist, created by art group monochromMonochrommonochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
to represent Austria at the 2002 Sao Paulo Art BiennialSão Paulo Art BiennialThe São Paulo Art Biennial was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial , which serves as its role model....
. Georg Paul Thomann is featured in RE/SearchRE/SearchRE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded and edited by Andrea Juno and V. Vale in 1980. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fanzine Search & Destroy , and was started with $100 from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
's "Pranks 2" book.
Pseudonyms
This list includes pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s supplied with a biography suggesting the existence of a person distinct from the actual person with the pseudonym in question, often with the purpose of a hoax.
See also :Category:Collective pseudonyms (many of them were not claimed as "real" people).
- Kozma PrutkovKozma PrutkovKozma Petrovich Prutkov is a fictional author invented by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins, three Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander, during the later part of the rule of Nicholas I of Russia....
, nonexistent Russian writer - Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
, pseudonym of Daniel HandlerDaniel HandlerDaniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
and character in Handler's (or "Snicket's") Series of Unfortunate Events - Gerald Wiley, pseudonym used by comedy performer and writer Ronnie BarkerRonnie BarkerRonald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
so that his sketches would be judged on merit.
Arts & entertainment
- P. D. Q. BachP. D. Q. BachP. D. Q. Bach is a fictitious composer invented by musical satirist "Professor" Peter Schickele. In a gag that Schickele has developed over a five-decade-long career, he performs "discovered" works of this forgotten member of the Bach family...
, a fictional composer invented by musical satirist "Professor" Peter SchickelePeter SchickeleJohann Peter Schickele is an American composer, musical educator, and parodist. He is best known for his comedy music albums featuring his music that he presents as music written by the fictional composer P. D. Q...
. - David J. Broadfoot, the Member of Parliament from Kicking Horse PassKicking Horse PassKicking Horse Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff National Parks...
, representing the New Apathetic PartyNew Apathetic PartyThe New Apathetic Party is a fictional political entity created by writers for the Royal Canadian Air Farce in the early 1970s. The party has continuously held the fictional electoral riding of Kicking Horse Pass The New Apathetic Party is a fictional political entity created by writers for the...
, a character played by Canadian comedian Dave BroadfootDave BroadfootDave Broadfoot is a Canadian comedian who was born on December 5, 1925 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 1943, he joined the merchant navy serving until 1947...
. - Dame Edna EverageDame Edna EverageDame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
, a character played by Australian comedian Barry Humphries - Borat Sagdiyev, a fictitious Kazakhstani journalist created by Sacha Baron CohenSacha Baron CohenSacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
, see also Ali GAli GAli G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
and BrunoBruno (character)Brüno Gehard , sometimes written as Bruno and Brueno, is a fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. The character, a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter, first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G... - Rusty Shackelford, pseudonym of Dale GribbleDale GribbleDale Alvin Gribble is a fictional character in the animated series King of the Hill. and is voiced by Johnny Hardwick . He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories and urban legends...
from the animated program King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
. - SvenSvenSven is a Nordic first name which is used throughout Scandinavia, Estonia and Germany. The name itself is Old Norse for "Young man" or "Young warrior." The original spelling in Old Norse was sveinn...
- occasional stand in for Samantha, above, on BBC radio comedy I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. - Gerald BostockGerald BostockGerald Bostock is the fictional author of the poem used as the lyrics for the 1972 Jethro Tull album Thick as a Brick. The album cover is designed to look like a small village newspaper, the St. Cleve Chronicle & Linwell Advertiser...
, writer of the lyrics for the Jethro TullJethro Tull (band)Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
album Thick as a BrickThick as a Brick-Differences between various CD releases:By 2011 the album received three major releases on CD: the first release , the MFSL-release , and the 25th Anniversary Edition . Whereas the first release and the MFSL-release run with identical speed, the 25th Anniversary edition runs 0.5% slower...
. - Ponsonby BrittPonsonby BrittPonsonby Britt was the credited—but fictional—executive producer of the television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Fractured Flickers, Hoppity Hooper, and George of the Jungle....
executive producer of The Rocky and Bullwinkle ShowThe Rocky and Bullwinkle ShowThe Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
. In the credits of George of the JungleGeorge of the JungleGeorge of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
, a later offering from the same production company, "Britt" had been promoted to "Ponsonby Britt OBE" (recipient of the Order of the British Empire). - Margaret B. Jones, fictitious half whiteWhite peopleWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, half Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
foster childFoster ChildFoster Child is a 1987 documentary film by Gil Cardinal, exploring the filmmaker's search, at age thirty-five, for biological family. Cardinal often meets with frustration during his search, but eventually finds his natural family and discovers his Métis roots.This National Film Board of Canada...
and BloodsBloodsThe Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
gang member in South Central Los AngelesSouth Los AngelesSouth Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known... - Andreas KaravisAndreas KaravisAndreas Karavis is a non-existent Greek poet created by Canadian poet David Solway.On October 1999, Books in Canada published an article entitled "Modern Homer" about a supposedly newly-discovered Greek poet Andreas Karavis, with an interview, a photograph, and an essay by David Solway...
, nonexistent Greek poet - Donald Kaufman, fictional brother of Adaptation writer Charlie Kaufman, gained "writing credits" and co-won an Oscar
- Kobuk, nonexistent InuitInuitThe Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
author and playwright (invented by the AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n comedian Helmut QualtingerHelmut QualtingerHelmut Qualtinger was an Austrian actor, writer and cabaret performer.-Biography:Helmut Qualtinger was born in Vienna, Austria...
) - Wanda KoolmatrieWanda KoolmatrieWanda Koolmatrie was an Indigenous Australian pseudonym used by white Australian Leon Carmen.In 1994, the Aboriginal publishing house Magabala Books published a novel entitled My Own Sweet Time. The author was supposedly Wanda Koolmatrie, an aboriginal woman born to the Pitjantjatjara people in 1949...
, nonexistent Australian aboriginal author - JT LeRoyJT LeRoyJeremiah "Terminator" LeRoy was a pseudonym created by American writer Laura Albert. The name was used from 1996 on for publication in magazines such as Nerve and Shout NY. After his first novel Sarah was published, "LeRoy" started making public appearances...
, fictional American author and literary celebrity. - David Manning, a nonexistent film critic created by Sony Corporation.
- S. Morgenstern, fictional author from the equally fictional country of Florin
- OssianOssianOssian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
, Irish bard created by James MacphersonJames MacphersonJames Macpherson was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of poems.-Early life:...
in the 18th century - Alan SmitheeAlan SmitheeAlan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to...
, name used by film directors who wish to disown a project - Nat Tate, fake 1950's American artist
- B. TravenB. TravenB. Traven was the pen name of a German novelist, whose real name, nationality, date and place of birth and details of biography are all subject to dispute. A rare certainty is that B...
, adventure novelist - Mrs. Trellis of North Wales - regular correspondent to BBC radio comedy I'm Sorry I Haven't A ClueI'm Sorry I Haven't a ClueI'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or Clue, is a BBC radio comedy panel game broadcast since 11 April 1972 at the rate of one or two series each year , transmitted on BBC Radio 4, with occasional repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC's World Service...
- Kilgore TroutKilgore TroutKilgore Trout is a fictional character created by author Kurt Vonnegut. He was originally created as a fictionalized version of author Theodore Sturgeon , although Trout's consistent presence in Vonnegut's works has also led critics to view him as the author's own alter ego...
, Fake author of "Venus on the Half-ShellVenus on the Half-ShellVenus on the Half-Shell is a science fiction novel attributed to the fictional author Kilgore Trout but actually written by Philip José Farmer. Kilgore Trout is a recurring character of many of the novels of Kurt Vonnegut and this book was first mentioned as a fictional work in his novel God Bless...
". Created by Kurt VonnegutKurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
. Book written by Philip Jose FarmerPhilip José FarmerPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.... - Hajime Yadate, credited as the creator of most of the animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
works of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animation studioAnimation studioAn animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced...
SunriseSunrise (company)is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
. - Van den BudenmayerZbigniew PreisnerZbigniew Preisner is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski.-Life:Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy in Kraków. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records....
, nonexistent Dutch composer believed to be real by some filmgoers even after they were told the truth. - Joe King, author of the parody poetry book "An American Parody" is said to have been created for and given author status to give the book more depth.
Academia
- Nicolas BourbakiNicolas BourbakiNicolas Bourbaki is the collective pseudonym under which a group of 20th-century mathematicians wrote a series of books presenting an exposition of modern advanced mathematics, beginning in 1935. With the goal of founding all of mathematics on set theory, the group strove for rigour and generality...
, a 20th century French mathematician with credited publications - Jára da Cimrman, fictional Czech geniusGeniusGenius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
and polymathPolymathA polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable... - Honorable J. FortescueJ. FortescueHonorable J. Fortescue was a nonexistent US surgeon and founder of the International Board of Hygiene that the League of Nations recognised in 1926....
, fake US physician - Dr. Irving Joshua MatrixIrving Joshua MatrixIrving Joshua Matrix , born Irving Joshua Bush and commonly known as Dr. Matrix, was a fictitious polymath scientist, scholar, and entrepreneur who made extraordinary contributions to perpetual motion engineering, Biblical cryptography and numerology, pyramid power, pentagonal meditation,...
, numerologist, invented by Martin GardnerMartin GardnerMartin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion... - Josiah Carberry, professor of psychoceramics at Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
Politics
- Jakob Maria MierscheidJakob Maria MierscheidJakob Maria Mierscheid MdB has been a fictitious politician in the German Bundestag since 11 December 1979. He was then the alleged deputy chairman of the Mittelstandsausschuss of the Bundestag in 1981 and 1982...
, a member of the German Bundestag. Despite not existing, Mierscheid has an official Parliamentary biography (complete with portrait) and has given his name to a bridge spanning the River SpreeSpreeThe Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
and to the Mierscheid LawMierscheid LawThe Mierscheid law is hypothesis, published in the German magazine Vorwärts on 14 July 1983 and attributed to the fictitious politician Jakob Maria Mierscheid. It forecasts the Social Democratic Party of Germany 's share of the popular vote based on the size of crude steel production in Western...
, which has been used to predict voting patterns in the former West Germany. - Andre Kasongo IlungaKasongo IlungaAndre Kasongo Ilunga is identified as the Vice-President of the UNAFEC party and Minister for Foreign Trade of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite doubts being cast on whether or not he actually exists as a real person...
, a member of the UNAFECUnion of Federalist Nationalists of CongoThe Union of Federalist Nationalists of Congo is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The party won 7 out of 500 seats in the parliamentary elections....
party and Minister of National Economy and Trade of the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
in 2007.
Covert Operations
- Major William MartinOperation MincemeatOperation Mincemeat was a successful British deception plan during World War II. As part of the widespread deception plan Operation Barclay to cover the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and...
, R.M., a dead courier found floating off the coast of Spain possessing documents outlining future Allied strategy. The documents were misinformation planted by the Security ServiceMI5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
on the body of Glyndwr MichaelGlyndwr MichaelGlyndwr Michael was an illiterate homeless man whose body was used in Operation Mincemeat, the successful World War II deception plan that lured German forces to Greece prior to the Allied invasion of Sicily...
, an alcoholic tramp who had died after ingesting rat poison and who was dressed in the appopriate uniform.
Sports
- Masal BugduvMasal BugduvMasal Bugduv is a fictional Moldovan youth footballer who was the subject of a hoax.-History:With a fabricated backstory describing a teenage prodigy on a web of blog postings, evidently created by different people, reports of the youth talent were ultimately published in a The Times article titled...
, nonexistent 16-year-old Moldovan football player linked with a move to numerous top clubs in Europe. - Sidd FinchSidd FinchSidd Finch was a fictional baseball player, the subject of the notorious article and April Fools' Day hoax "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch" written by George Plimpton and first published in the April 1, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated.-Hoax:...
, nonexistent baseball prodigy created by George PlimptonGeorge PlimptonGeorge Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
for an April Fool's Day prank. - Chimezie Kudu, nonexistent 7-foot-11 basketball player (ESPN.com readers' responses)
- Taro TsujimotoTaro TsujimotoTaro Tsujimoto is an imaginary ice hockey player who was legally drafted by the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres 183rd overall in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft....
, nonexistent Japanese hockey player selected by Buffalo SabresBuffalo SabresThe Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
general manager Punch ImlachPunch ImlachGeorge "Punch" Imlach , was an NHL coach and general manager. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early career:...
in the 1974 NHL Draft1974 NHL Amateur DraftThe 1974 NHL Amateur Draft was held via conference call at the NHL office in Montreal, Quebec. In an effort to prevent the WHA from poaching players, the draft was conducted early and in secret. This failed to prevent tampering as information leaked out via agents and other sources over the three...
Religion
- Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-AftahMuhammad ibn Abdullah al-AftahMuhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq was a figure whose existence is contested: a portion of the Fathite Shia Muslims , believed that Muhammad was the son of Imam Abdullah al-Aftah , whom they believed to be the Imam after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq...
, non-existent leader and Mahdi of the extinct Fathite/Aftahiyya/Fathiyya Shia Muslim sect. - Udo of AachenUdo of AachenUdo of Aachen is a fictional monk, a creation of British technical writer Ray Girvan, who introduced him in an April Fool's hoax article in 1999...
, fictional monk
Unclassified
- Please help in putting them into appropriate sections.
- Carl BrandonCarl Brandon SocietyThe Carl Brandon Society is a group originating within the science fiction community "dedicated to addressing the representation of people of color in the fantastical genres such as science fiction, fantasy and horror.....
, a fictional fan of color, for whom the Carl Brandon Society was named - Betty CrockerBetty CrockerBetty Crocker AKA: batter witch is a cultural icon, as well as brand name and trademark of American Fortune 500 corporation General Mills. The name was first developed by the Washburn Crosby Company in 1921 as a way to give a personalized response to consumer product questions. The name Betty was...
, fake spokesperson for The Washburn Crosby Company of Minneapolis and its successor company, General MillsGeneral MillsGeneral Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green... - Kodee KenningsKodee KenningsKodee Kennings was a fictional 8-year-old girl, supposedly the daughter of a U.S. Army soldier named Dan Kennings in post-invasion Iraq. Kodee's plight was detailed in letters published in the Daily Egyptian, a student newspaper for Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, beginning in...
, nonexistent 8-year-old girl whose letters were published in the Daily Egyptian, a student newspaper for Southern Illinois University CarbondaleSouthern Illinois University CarbondaleSouthern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system... - Claude Émile Jean-Baptiste LitreClaude Émile Jean-Baptiste LitreClaude Émile Jean-Baptiste Litre is a fictional character created in 1978 by Kenneth Woolner of the University of Waterloo in order to justify the use of a capital L to denote litres....
, volumetric namesake. - Andrew MacDonald, a pseudonym for William Luther PierceWilliam Luther PierceWilliam Luther Pierce III was the leader of the white separatist National Alliance organization, and one of the most important ideologists of the white nationalist movement. Pierce originally worked as an assistant professor of physics at Oregon State University, before he became involved in...
, white supremacist and author of The Turner DiariesThe Turner DiariesThe Turner Diaries is a novel written in 1978 by William Luther Pierce under the pseudonym "Andrew Macdonald"... - Kaycee NicoleKaycee NicoleKaycee Nicole was a fictitious persona played by Debbie Swenson in a well-known case of Münchausen by Internet. Between 1999 and when the hoax was discovered in 2001, Swenson, playing the role of Kaycee, represented herself on numerous websites as a teenager suffering from terminal leukemia...
, fictional leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
sufferer and Internet personality - Henry Root, fictitious correspondent, and Henry Raddick (possibly the same person)
- H. Rochester SneathH. Rochester SneathH. Rochester Sneath MA L-ès-L was the nonexistent headmaster of the also nonexistent Selhurst School who wrote many bizarre letters to public figures in 1948. Selhurst supposedly had 175 male students....
, nonexistent headmaster of the nonexistent Selhurst School - Edna Welthorpe, nonexistent morality campaigner
- Araki YasusadaAraki YasusadaAraki Yasusada was a non-existent Japanese poet, generally thought to be the creation of US literature professor Kent Johnson...
, fake Hiroshima survivor and author - Silence DogoodSilence DogoodSilence Dogood was a false persona used by Benjamin Franklin to get his work published.-History:As a teenager, Franklin worked as an apprentice in his older brother James' printing shop in Boston, where The New-England Courant was printed....
, a false persona used by Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
to get his work published.
- Carl Brandon