Shakuntala Devi, “The Human Calculator”
Why she’s called this: Despite her impressive math skills, Devi actually earned this nickname due primarily to her uncanny ability to spell the word “BOOBS.”
James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul”
Why he’s called this: This nickname was more than just a title of honour, Brown was expected to take care of Soul in case of the death of its parents.
Margaret Thatcher, “The Iron Lady”
Why she’s called this: A stern and strong politician, Margaret Thatcher was also a huge fan of comic books and picked up her nickname after dressing as the female-version of her favourite superhero at a party in which she broke her jaw and had it replaced with solid iron.
Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One”
Why he’s called this: Although widely believed to signify his stature as the greatest hockey player of all-time, the nickname was, in fact, given to Gretzky as a child by his father Walt who hated his four other children.
Michael Jordan, “MJ”
Why he’s called this: “MJ” earned this nickname from teammate Steve Kerr who noted that Jordan’s skills on the basketball court were reminiscent of the stage presence of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger or “he got the moves like MJ”.
