Here's how the game works. The OP posts a name of someone who was once famous, and now presumably is obscure. If someone can answer why the person was famous, then s/he gets to put forward a name. Got it? Of course no Internet or other outside help.

So . . . George Metesky.

He was the linebacker for the world champion Vince Lombardy Greenbay Packers, or was that Ray Nitschke.

No. I actually know the answer, but technically I had outside help as I read a book of essays by Malcolm Gladwell over the holiday and one of his essays talked about George Metesky.

So who is he already?

It's yours balducci, go ahead.

George Metesky was the Mad Bomber in New York, in the 1940s and 1950s.

Over Christmas, I read about him in one of Malcolm's essays (compiled in the book "What the Dog Saw") that dealt with FBI profilers. Which was a really rather interesting essay, because he discussed how the profilers use the same techniques as magicians, psychics, and astrologers who use cold reading techniques. I just googled and found the essay online here, for anyone interested in it:

http://www.gladwell.com/2007/2007_11_12_a_profile.html

Okay, so here is my once was famous now obscure name (maybe it is too easy, we'll see): Haile Selassie I

Didn't he rule Israel at one time?

Father of Modern Reggae? Rah (King) Stafari (sp) i.e. Rastafarians?!

I guess Lobo more or less has it. Close enough for me, anyway. My standards are not that high this evening. From Wikipedia (with some editing):

Haile Selassie I, "Power of the Trinity"[1]) (23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975), born Tafari Makonnen,[2] was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974.

Among the Rastafari movement, Haile Selassie is revered as the returned Messiah of the Bible, God incarnate. They perceives Haile Selassie as a messianic figure who will lead a future golden age of eternal peace, righteousness, and prosperity.

He gave a famous speech making him an icon for anti-Fascists around the world, and Time Magazine named him "Man of the Year", in 1936.

Pete Rademacher

No clue.

Let's agree that if no one gets the answer within a reasonable amount of time to be determined by the Question Asker, then the QA will give the answer and then pose another name.

I'll put another one up at noon if ol' Pete is still unloved.

Noon is such a relative concept.

lol Sorry...PST - in about 2 3/4 hours.

I think you've got us all stumped Lobo.

Oops, sorry about that. Rademacher was an Olympic gold medal boxer who made boxing history by fighting for the world's heavyweight championship in his first professional fight. He actually dropped champion Floyd Patterson in the second round, but Patterson got up to knock him out in the 6th. In his second fight, Rademacher took on Zora Folley, an extremely tough contended. The guy went from 3-round amateur bouts to slugging it out with the best pros in the world. I think he ended up with a very mediocre professional record, something like 15-7, then retired while he still had his faculties and became a very successful businessman.

How about...Rob Pilatus?

The distant descendant of the Roman playwright, he ended up writing the screenplay for Howard the Duck?

Lobo
That name rings a bell, but I'm not sure where I've heard it?

Landmark...good guess, but not the answer we're looking for.

Al, I expected you to get the boxer, not this one!

And the answer is . . ?
Do we get to use the Internet if there's no answer within 24 hours?