Famous person introduction

People like to know what famous people say and do. Dropping the name of a famous person in the introduction of a paper usually gets the reader's attention. It may be something that famous person said or something he or she did that can be presented as an interest grabber. In fact, you may just mention the famous person's name in the indroduction to get the reader's interest.

The famous person may be alive or not. The famous person may be a good person like the Pope, or he or she may be a bad person like Osama Bin Laden. Of course, bringing up this famous person's name in the introduction must be relevant to the topic. Even though the statement or action may not be readily relevant, a clever writer can convince the reader that it is relevant.

Example of famous person introduction

From "Dear Taxpayer" by Will Manley in Booklist, May 1, 1993.

The most widely read writer in America today is not Stephen King, Michael Chrichton or John Grisham. It's Margaret Milner Richardson, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, whose name appears on the "1040 Forms and Instructions" booklet. I doubt that Margaret wrote the entire 1040 pamphlet, but the annual introductory letter, "A Note from the Commissioner," bears her signature.