Albert A. Michelson
In an episode of the television series "Bonanza" ("Look to the Stars", broadcast March 18, 1962), Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) helps the 16-year-old Michelson (portrayed by 25-year-old Douglas Lambert (1936–1986)) obtain an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, despite the opposition of the bigoted town schoolteacher (played by William Schallert). "Bonanza" was set in and around Virginia City, Nevada, where Michelson lived with his parents prior to leaving for the Naval Academy. In a voice-over at the end of the episode, Greene mentions Michelson's 1907 Nobel Prize.
Dan Blocker
On May 13, 1972, Blocker died in Los Angeles, at age 43, of a pulmonary embolism following gall bladder surgery. The writers of "Bonanza" took the unusual step of referencing a major character's death in the show's storyline that autumn. "Bonanza" lasted another season without Hoss, and the 14th and final season ended on January 16, 1973.