James "Jim" Bowie (pronounced BOO-ee; April 1796 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer. He played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of him as a fighter and frontiersman, both real and fictitious, have made him a legendary figure in Texas history. He is a folk hero of American history. The Bowie knife is named after Jim Bowie.