Joshua Abraham Norton, historically remembered as Emperor Norton, was an English-born resident of San Francisco who famously declared himself "Emperor of these United States" in 1859, adding the secondary title "Protector of Mexico" in 1866. After accumulating and subsequently losing a substantial fortune through commodities and real estate speculation in the early 1850s, Norton filed for bankruptcy in 1856 and later reinvented himself as a regal civic figure. He patrolled the streets of San Francisco daily in an elaborate blue military uniform adorned with gold-plated epaulets and a beaver hat decorated with a peacock feather, a wardrobe initially maintained through a custom uniform gifted by officers at the Presidio army base and later supported by a public allowance from the city's Board of Supervisors. San Francisco's community leaned into his imperial identity. Local merchants proudly displayed signs of royal endorsement, restaurants provided free meals, and businesses routinely accepted and exchanged his self-designed imperial banknotes for official United States currency. The 1870 U.S. Federal Census officially registered his occupation as "Emperor". Furthermore, when a local security officer arrested Norton in 1867 for vagrancy and mental illness, a massive public outcry prompted the chief of police to order his immediate release, offer a formal public apology, and mandate that all police officers offer the Emperor a formal military salute whenever he passed.

Beyond his colorful regalia, Norton used his platform to actively promote infrastructure improvements, civil rights, and social justice. During a period of intense economic strain and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in the 1870s, he issued imperial decrees demanding equal legal protections for Chinese immigrants, published calls for racial harmony, and even issued an 1878 edict banning anti-Chinese political gatherings. He frequently attended city council and school board meetings, inspected public pathways, and was well ahead of his time in advocating for civic advancements, such as the safety of cable cars and the construction of a transbay suspension bridge. When Norton tragically collapsed and died on a San Francisco street corner on January 8, 1880, while walking to a lecture at the California Academy of Sciences, the city refused to let him have a pauper's burial. A grand funeral was organized, drawing a massive procession of more than 10,000 citizens that stretched over two miles through the city streets. His enduring impact on the city's identity was reaffirmed in 1934 when his remains were transferred to Woodlawn Cemetery, where a large granite marker permanently commemorates his historical legacy as Norton I, Emperor of the United States.

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The image used in the episode cover art is a photograph taken of Norton circa 1871-1872 by an unknown photographer.

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