“The Simpsons” Names Came From WWII (?)

After FDR died in April of 1945, the new president, Harry Truman, was not in a position to make an informed decision about the weapon. As vice president, he had only met with FDR twice. Taking note of his unpreparedness, Secretary of War Henry Stimson wanted to brief him about the horrible nature of the bomb. Another politician, James Byrnes, wanted to market himself as “Mr. Atomic Bomb”. He took a rather bullish stance on using the weapon and was motivated by political self interest. In the end, both Stimson and Byrnes supported using the weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. [Source]

In US History, we were discussing the background behind the decision to drop the atomic bomb and its ethics. My history teacher mistakenly said “Simpson” instead of “Stimson” and remarked how similar the two names were. A few seconds later, my hand went up. “Wait… Homer Simpson actually worked in a nuclear power plant!” Already the class was amazed and ready to jump on the theory. As the conversation shifted to Byrnes, my hand shot up again. “Hold on. Homer’s boss at the nuclear plant is Mr. Burns.” Another student jumped onto Wikipedia to conduct more ‘research’ that is definitely not related to class. A few moments later, he reported back, “At the end of World War II [Mr. Burns] was personally hired by President Harry S. Truman.” Indeed, James Byrnes became Truman’s Secretary of State in July of 1945. He became very close with the President and accompanied him at Potsdam. It is also important to note that Mr. Burns attended Yale University and was a part of the Skulls and Bones society. James Byrnes did not go to Yale, but Henry Stimson did! He was also part of the Skulls and Bones society. [Source, Source, Source]

Now, is this the actual origin of the characters’ names? Therein lies the rub. On one hand, Matt Groening, the creator of the series, has said that Mr. Burns’ character is inspired from Citizen Kane (which was a classic from… the WWII era) and his own childhood memories. On the other hand, The Simpsons is known for historical references and eerie predictions of the future. Matt, if you’re reading this, feel free to leave a comment below. [Source]