I was wondering how the Earl of Salisbury translated to Salisbury steak - he was reduced to hamburger after the cannonball hit him?
So I looked it up.
Salisbury Steak was named after James H. Salisbury (1823–1905), an American physician and chemist known for his advocacy of a meat-centered diet to promote health, and the term Salisbury steak for a ground beef patty served as the main course has been used in the United States since 1897.
But the Earl is an interesting story. A relative of mine served with a battery of artillery (3 cannons) during the CW. The Colonel in charge had two horses shot out from under him, one by a cannon ball, another by an exploding shell - I’ll spare you the description of what happened to the horses. The Colonel survived & the cannon saved that battle for the South (second battle of Manassas or Bull Run).
You’re right of course; Salisbury steak was not named for the Earl. I came across the macabre association of the name with the Earl’s death a long time ago, in the introduction to one of those Alfred Hitchcock story collections, and it has just stuck with me.