America. James Thurber in his novel, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, introduces the main character Walter Mitty, who is a rather timid and unadventurous fellow, whose wife has the dominating role in their relationship. Diesel - Rudolf Diesel. Beneath his humble and timid exterior, Walter Mitty hides dreams and a great fantasy in his life in which he imagines himself as a successful surgeon, a daredevil pilot, and a heroic naval commander. Sideburns - Ambrose Burnside. New content will be added above the current area of focus upon selection Alzheimer’s disease - Alois Alzheimer. The word America is named after Italian Mapmaker, Amerigo Vespucci. America - Amerigo Vespucci. Zipper. Fahrenheit - Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit. Boycott. 1. Many things in our culture bear the name of the person who invented them. 5. 10 Examples of Eponyms in the English Language. Reaganomics - Ronald Reagan. While we don't often think about it, many common items were named after someone who had a hand in their invention. Watt - John Watt. Marxism - Karl Marx. Cardigan - Earl of Cardigan. 2. Caesar Salad. Historical & Scientific Eponym Examples. Fahrenheit. . Eponym literally means "named after." 3. For example the store "Wal-Mart" is named for Sam Walton, the man who founded the retail giant. Other eponyms in English include boycott, braille, camellia, chauvinist, dahlia, diesel, dunce, gardenia, gerrymander, guillotine, hooligan, leotard, lynch, magnolia, ohm, pasteurize, poinsettia, praline, quixotic, ritzy, sequoia, shrapnel, silhouette, volt, watt, and zeppelin. 4.