Ex-McDonald’s CEO says raising the minimum wage will help robots take jobs

[mahatmakanejeeves]

110. "John henry ... {laid} ... railroad track for the transcontinental railway."

Oooh, no.

I thought the spelling was "Jawn Henry," but Wikipedia says it's "John Henry."

John Henry.

John Henry is an African American folk hero and tall tale. He is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel. According to legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer, which he won, only to die in victory with his hammer in his hand as his heart gave out from stress. The story of John Henry is told in a classic folk song, which exists in many versions, and has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books and novels. Various locations, including Big Bend Tunnel in West Virginia, Lewis Tunnel in Virginia, and Coosa Mountain Tunnel in Alabama, have been suggested as the site of the contest.

History




A sign by the C&O railway line near Talcott, West Virginia.

The historical accuracy of many of the aspects of the John Henry legend is subject to debate.[1][2] Several locations have been put forth for the tunnel on which John Henry died.

Big Bend Tunnel

Guy B. Johnson, a Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, investigated the legend of John Henry in the late 1920s. He concluded that John Henry was a real person who worked on and died at the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's Big Bend Tunnel. The tunnel was built near Talcott, West Virginia, from 1870 to 1872 (according to Johnson's dating), and named for the big bend in the Greenbrier River nearby.