I was looking at a map of California and spotted Pleasanton, near San Francisco. I thought it sounded familiar but couldn’t figure out why. The name origin didn’t shed light on my confusion, but did conjure up a great Sherman quote: “I think I know what military fame is; to be killed on the field of battle and have your name misspelled in the newspapers.”

Pleasanton is located on the Rancho Valle de San José Mexican land grant and was founded by John W. Kottinger, an Alameda County justice of the peace, and named after his friend, Union army cavalry Major General Alfred Pleasonton. A typographical error by a U.S. Postal Service employee apparently led to the current spelling.

Source: Pleasanton, California – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia