1.0The Hard Timeshttps://thehardtimes.netPatrick Coynehttps://thehardtimes.net/author/patrick-coyne/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="mdutXLkPaU"><a href="https://thehardtimes.net/blog/the-true-story-of-how-les-paul-accidentally-invented-his-world-famous-guitar-while-crafting-a-bludgeoning-device-for-beating-irish-immigrants/">The True Story of How Les Paul Accidentally Invented His World Famous Guitar While Crafting a Bludgeoning Device for Beating Irish Immigrants</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://thehardtimes.net/blog/the-true-story-of-how-les-paul-accidentally-invented-his-world-famous-guitar-while-crafting-a-bludgeoning-device-for-beating-irish-immigrants/embed/#?secret=mdutXLkPaU" width="600" height="338" title="“The True Story of How Les Paul Accidentally Invented His World Famous Guitar While Crafting a Bludgeoning Device for Beating Irish Immigrants” — The Hard Times" data-secret="mdutXLkPaU" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(c,d){"use strict";var e=!1,o=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage);else if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(!t);else if(!(t.secret||t.message||t.value));else if(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret));else{for(var r,s,a,i=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),l=0;l<n.length;l++)n[l].style.display="none";for(l=0;l<i.length;l++)if(r=i[l],e.source!==r.contentWindow);else{if(r.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(s=parseInt(t.value,10)))s=1e3;else if(~~s<200)s=200;r.height=s}if("link"===t.message)if(s=d.createElement("a"),a=d.createElement("a"),s.href=r.getAttribute("src"),a.href=t.value,!o.test(a.protocol));else if(a.host===s.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener("message",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),c.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(o);else{o=!0;for(var e,t,r,s=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),i=d.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),n=0;n<i.length;n++){if(!(r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute("data-secret")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+="#?secret="+r,t.setAttribute("data-secret",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:r},"*")}}}}(window,document); </script> https://thehardtimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/les-paul.jpg1200630Lester William Polsfuss, better known by his stage name Les Paul, was a pioneering musician and the inventor of perhaps the most famous guitar in history, the Gibson Les Paul. But what if we told you that Les Paul accidentally stumbled upon his groundbreaking instrument while crafting a tool for bludgeoning Irish immigrants? A recently uncovered diary from Paul sheds light on the guitar’s true origin.