Joe Hayman doesn't have a Wikipedia article. There is confusion about his name and nationality. And yet, Hayman is one of the most important comics of all time.

The story actually starts with Harry Houdini. In his early career, the famed magician partnered up with Jacob Hyman; the two were called Brothers Houdini. Jacob left in 1893, and was replaced by his real brother Joseph.

Joseph eventually parted ways with Houdini, added an "a" into his name to turn it into Hayman, and went over from America to England. There, he became a vaudeville performer and developed a stage routine, "Cohen on the Telephone".

The monologue was a three-minute call to landlord. Cohen, hindered by a thick Jewish accent and static of the telephone line, was asking to get his shutters fixed. "This is your tenant Cohen... YOUR TENANT COHEN! No, NOT Lieutenant Cohen..."

"Cohen on the Telephone" became a hit, the first record to sell a million copies. Numerous comedians stateside covered it, but Hayman was the original.

One of the most important comics of all time? Heck, you can make the case that Hayman was the first Jewish comic...