John Henry

The name John Henry has several different meanings.

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• John Henry, the "steel-driving man", is an African-American folk hero.

Real individuals:

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• John Henry is an 18th century U.S. Senator from and Governor of Maryland.
• John Henry is a 19th century U.S. Representative from Illinois.
• John Flournoy Henry is a 19th century U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
• John Henry is the majority owner of the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team.
• John Henry is a prominent toxicologist, a professor at Imperial College in London and a consultant to Britain's National Poisons Information Service.
• John Henry is the vocalist in a band called Darkest Hour.
• John Henry (1776-1853) a British spy who sold his papers to James Madison.

Works of Fiction:

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• John Henry is a 1931 novel by Roark Bradford, based on the African-American folk hero of the same name (see below). It was made into a Broadway play and later a musical featuring Paul Robeson in the title role and Ruby Elzy as Julie Anne.
• John Henry is a 1994 pop album by They Might Be Giants.
• John Henry is a 1995 pop song by Marques Bovre and the Evil Twins, from their album Flyover Land.

Other Notable Uses:

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• John Henry is a racing horse named after the above folk hero.
• John Henry is a historian of science, associated with the Strong Programme, and the author of numerous books including Knowledge is Power: How Magic, the Government and an Apocalyptic Vision Inspired Francis Bacon to creat Modern Science (2002)