Cracked pays people to make smart memes. Visit the Photoplasty and Pictofacts Workshop to get in on it.

Famous people, for all their creativity and ingenuity, are often rewarded with fortune, the limelight, and probably toilet paper made out of $100 bills. Unless you're anyone on this list, that is.

Because it turns out that when fortune smiles upon you, there's no designated time in which she does. And sadly, some of the most famous people on the planet only became so after they kicked the bucket.

Entry by mkad

Very little is known about Robert Johnson. Johnson is considered one of the best guitar players in history, and an inspiration for Bob Dylan, Keith Ri

Entry by mkad

Confucius wasn't always popular. While Kong Qiu had some loyal students, he was relatively unknown in China during his lifetime. Only centuries later

Entry by Comunacho

Camille Claudel was overshadowed by Rodin and isolated by her family. Claudel apprenticed with renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin, and they had a long an

Entry by maximoo

Gregor Mendel's work was overlooked in his time. Mendel's experiments with peas were taken to be applicable only to peas, even by himself. Today he's

Entry by Biclops

Edgar Allan Poe became a legend thanks to a spiteful rival. Poe never made much money from his writing while living. But sales of his books skyrockete

Entry by NinjaBill

Bruce Lee wasn't too well-known in the U.S. Lee was already a big star in Asia, but it took 1973's Enter the Dragon to make him a true household name
Scroll down for the next article

MUST READ

Forgot Password?