re: #139 HappyWarrior

Should have just stuck to writing about old men falling asleep and schoolmasters being chased by headless Hessians. I believe Irving also played a role in the Washington cherry tree legend building too.

IIRC, he did concoct all sorts of American mythology from the barest of evidence. I guess he needed to sell books or something. Then those stories ended up being integrated into elementary school history lessons as if they were fact. Instead, they were more like Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.