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It is commonly
believed that this expression has its origins in the popularity of
James Gordon-Bennett, Jr..
His father, born
in Scotland in 1795, emigrated to the US to become a journalist and
subsequently founded the 'New York Herald' in 1835. The many innovations
he established within newspaper publishing, including European correspondents,
illustrated news articles, the joint founding of The Associated Press
(1848) and the first major use of the telegraph for news, led to a
successful news empire which amassed considerable wealth.
It was his son, born in 1841 and known as Gordon-Bennett, who really captured the attention of the US and European populace. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he took every opportunity to live life as a playboy; his wild lifestyle and extravagant
spending gained him notoriety in high society. On one occasion, at a New Year's party (1877) being held by his fiancee's father, he got so stupifyingly drunk as to mistake the fireplace for a toilet and proceeded to urinate in front of his prospective in-laws and their guests. Other tales include
the occasion when, annoyed by the bulky roll of money in his back pocket, he burnt the lot in an impetuous fit. There are many more tales of his outrageous and extravagant behaviour, however not all cast him in a bad light, such as the numerous times he would donate large sums of money to charities.
He took over the
management of the Herald in 1867, and
proceeded to invest funds in newsworthy ventures. His funding included
the expedition by Stanley to Africa, in search of Dr. David Livingstone,
and an ill fated attempt to explore the North Pole and Arctic region
by G.W. De Long in the years between 1879 and 1881. The 'Jeanette'
expedition, as the Arctic trip was known, failed miserably and led
to the subsequent death, via starvation, of De Long and 19 fellow
crew members. There are several islands in Siberia that bear Bennett's
name.
Gordon-Bennett was particularly partial to sports, being credited
with introducing polo to the United States, his interests included
yachting, in which he established the James Gordon-Bennett Cup for
international races. Trophies were similarly given for balloon and
aeroplane racing, of which the Gordon-Bennett balloon race still exists.
As further testament to his involvement in the various racing arenas,
it was in 1904 that the Gordon-Bennett Motor Car Road Racing Trials
were first run on the Isle of Man, which was the precursor to the
world famous TT races, currently still held there.
From 1877 he lived
in Europe, mainly on his 301 foot yacht, the Lysistrata, from where
he administered the running of the New York Herald. He died in France
in May 1918, aged 78.
The use of James Gordon-Bennett's name as an expletive possibly bears relation to his outrageous lifestyle and involvement in newsworthy stunts. Imagine opening your daily newspaper and reading yet another news item telling you of his latest antics,
and as you begin to express incredulity with a "God Almighty", you restrain your publically unacceptable language and instead say..... GORDON-BENNETT!
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