IRVING BERLIN (I888-1989), songwriter - He was born Israel Baline, but the sheet music for his first composition, ‘Marie from Sunny Italy', credited the song to I. Berlin. Baline preferred the mistake over his actual name.
WILLIAM FAULKNER (1897 -1962), novelist - After William Falkner's first book, The Marble Faun (1924), was published, he discovered that a ‘u' had been inserted into his last name. He decided to live with the new spelling rather than go through the hassle of correcting the error.
ULYSSES S. GRANT (1822-1885), general and US president - The future Civil War general was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. The prospect of entering the US Military Academy with the initials 'H.U.G.' embarrassed him so the new cadet reversed the order of his names and started signing himself U.H. Grant. He soon learned that Rep, Thomas L. Hamer, who had sponsored his appointment to West Point, had mistakenly enrolled him as Ulysses Simpson Grant, 'Simpson' being the maiden name of Grant's mother. Grant, finding nothing objectionable in the initials 'USG', adopted the new name.
BUDDY HOLLY (1936-1959) singer and songwriter - When Charles 'Buddy' Holley signed his first contract with Decca Records, his last name was misspelled as 'Holly'. Reasoning that others in the recording industry would make the same error, Buddy kept the new spelling.
DIONNE WARWICK (1940- ), singer - 'When her first record, 'Don't Make Me Over' was released in 1962 a printing error made Dionne Warrick over into Dionne Warwick.
OPRAH WINFREY (1954- ), television personality - Her parents intended to name her 'Orpah' after Ruth's sister-in-law in the old testament. However, the name was misspelled 'oprah' on her birth certificate. Winfrey has used it ever since.
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