Washington Irving's Diedrich Knickerbocker and the Knickerbocker Hotel

Washington Irving's 1809 satirical book A History of New York was published under the fictional persona Diedrich Knickerbocker and used exaggerated, humorous accounts of New Amsterdam that resemble tall tales. The Knickerbocker name from Irving's fictional narrator later became a civic nickname for New Yorkers and has been used for local institutions, including the Knickerbocker Hotel located at Times Square. The hotel's name explicitly references Irving's fictional character and the tall-tale satirical tradition he popularized.