The Most Interesting Man in the World is…

…not that Dos Equis guy. And I can prove it. Gone from this Earth for 101 years now, Colonel William
F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody is more interesting by far than the guy in the commercials. Although I must
admit that Augustin Legrand, the actor who plays “the most interesting man in the world” in the beer
ads has a pretty striking beard, almost as striking as Buffalo Bill’s.

But judge for yourself. Here’s a look at some of the claims made by That Dos Equis Guy (TDEG for
short) and the true feats of Buffalo Bill Cody. Let the smackdown begin:

TDEG: “His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body.”

What a joke. Did TDEG and his beard hunt and shoot 68 buffalo in eight hours like Cody did to win a
competition for the Buffalo Bill nickname? That’s about one every seven minutes, Mr. TDEG. The crew
of the railroad where Buffalo Bill was working was well-fed for many days after that event. Did you
ever feed a crew of hungry railroad workers, Mr. TDEG.? I didn’t think so.

TDEG: “If he were to mail a letter without postage, it would still get there.”

But would he carry that letter himself? By the time he was 14, Buffalo Bill Cody had already had three
jobs. He drove an ox-team at 11, became a messenger boy on a bull train at 12 and was promoted to
assistant wagon master at 13. At 14, he became a Pony Express rider. While most Pony Express riders
switched to new horses every 15 miles and handed off their mail bags to fresh riders after 75 miles,
Buffalo Bill Cody once rode 384 miles in a single run.

TDEG: “On every continent in the world, there is a sandwich named after him.”

Have 550 novels been written about his exploits? Have characters in literature been modeled after
him? Have songs been written about him? F. Scott Fitzgerald combined the personalities of Buffalo Bill
and Daniel Boone to create “Dan Cody,” a character in “The Great Gatsby.” The Beatles found
inspiration in him when they wrote their lighthearted, satirical song “The Continuing Story of Bungalow
Bill.” And novelist Ned Buntline wrote hundreds of books about his adventures, bringing the romance
of the Wild West and tales of his grand life to homes throughout the U.S.

TDEG: “His passport requires no photograph.”

He has a passport? Ha! Buffalo Bill Cody, on the tail end of a lengthy hunting trip throughout the West
in 1902, pulled his six-horse stagecoach to a stop in front of Salt Lake City’s Templeton Hotel, signed
the hotel register “W.F. Cody, Buffalo Bill,” and in the space to list his residence, merely wrote “the
world.” No passport needed.

TDEG: “In museums, he is allowed to touch the art.”

But does he have entire museums named after him? Buffalo Bill Cody does. The Buffalo Bill Center of
the West is five museums under one roof. One of those museums, the Buffalo Bill Museum, is devoted
entirely to his life and times. And that’s not all. There’s a Buffalo Bill Museum in Colorado at the site of
Buffalo Bill’s alleged grave, a Buffalo Bill museum in LeClaire, Iowa marking his birthplace and a
Buffalo Bill State Historical Park in North Platte, Neb.

So there you have it. I believe I have proven that Buffalo Bill Cody earned the right to be known as
the most interesting man in the world forever.

Until next time, I’m enjoying a cold one and loving life here in Cody Yellowstone Country.