George Washington was the first President of the liberty-loving
nation, and The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Both of
these comprise rather well-known events throughout the course of
American history. But there’s a wealth of hidden history nuggets that
you might not know about. Here are ten of them.
1. The Founding Fathers penned the first couple of drafts of the
Declaration of Independence on hemp paper, since at the time at least 75
percent of all the world’s paper was made from cannabis hemp fiber. The
democratic delegates eked out the document’s first and second
drafts—completed on June 28th and July 2nd 1776, respectively—on Dutch
hemp paper. The final document had a more official air, though, as it
was printed on parchment.
2. Months before World War Two culminated in the absolute decimation
of Hiroshima, the Japanese found themselves in a bit of a pinch. Making
the most of the strong air current across the Pacific Ocean, the
Japanese crafted what was likely the first intercontinental weapon
system and attached bombs to hydrogen balloons, in what was known as the
Fu-Go campaign. Depending on weather conditions, it would take each
balloon anywhere from 30 to 60 hours to reach the United States.
Researchers estimate that the Japanese said sayonara to around 9,000
bombs—which were approximately 33 feet in diameter— to the United
States, with 342 known to have reached the United States. Many of them
landed and exploded, with one even killing a whole family in Oregon in
1944. Rumor has it that there may still be dozens – potentially still
active – lying around.
3. The Liberty Bell is an iconic American relic. Unfortunately, its
tolling hasn’t been heard since George Washington’s Birthday in 1846.
The bell, which used to reside in Pennsylvania’s Independence Hall, was
erected in August 1752 and was first rung in July 8, 1776, to celebrate
the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Though no
conclusive evidence exists to determine when the bell first cracked
(some argue that Liberty split during the Revolutionary War in 1824,
others speculate that it happened during the funeral of Chief Justice
John Marshall in 1835), it was the cherry tree chopping president’s
birthday that cracked the bell beyond repair.
4. The Republican and Democratic Party symbols emerged less from
political tact and more in jest and retribution. The Democratic Party’s
donkey symbol was adopted in 1828, when, during an election, Andrew
Jackson’s opponents called him a jackass. The Republican Party’s
elephant symbol was adopted in 1874 after satirical cartoonist Thomas
Nast drew an elephant, labeling it “the Republican vote.”
5. Most know that the nation’s first ginger president was a
francophile, but they don’t know just how much he embraced the life of
leisure. Here’s how much: when president, Jefferson would greet White
House guests in his robe and slippers. And while Jefferson didn’t adopt
the bisou, he did initiate the custom of shaking hands when meeting
people – as opposed to bowing that had been favored by George Washington
(who didn’t like physical contact).
6. Aside from being the first President of the United States, George
Washington was also quite the booze hound – and manufacturer. Washington
was a savvy businessman who owned one of the largest distilleries in
18th century America, and by 1799 alone he was producing 11,000 gallons
of whiskey. In 1797 George Washington’s farm manager, a Scot named James
Anderson, convinced his employer that producing whiskey made from corn
and rye grown on the plantation would be a natural complement to his
milling business. Washington erected the 2,250 square foot distillery,
making it among the largest whiskey distilleries in early America.
Today, the two-story stone distillery is reconstructed and operates
seasonally, mashing, fermenting and distilling grain as it was done in
the eighteenth century.
7. On September 25, 1820, Salem, NJ held a trial against…tomatoes.
The general populace believed that tomatoes were poisonous, so Robert
Johnson stepped in to prove them wrong. To do so, he bravely stood
before a crowd at the courthouse and consumed a whole basket of the
delectable fruit. Not dying after consumption, the trial was promptly
dismissed.
8. In 1842, the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in
Texas (or Adelsverein as it was known in German) set its immigration
aspirations on the Republic of Texas. The society was first established
in Germany, with the ultimate end goal being swapping spurs for
lederhosen and cultivating a German state. By 1847, over 5,000 German
immigrants had established five settlements across the state. A further
2,000 immigrants had arrived by 1853, but the movement failed due to
lack of planning, mistrust and bad business sense.
9. The nation’s 30th Vice President, Charles Gates Dawes, has the
distinction of being not only a banker and politician prior to assuming
the role of Calvin Coolidge’s VP, but also a hit music composer. He
enjoyed playing the piano and composing music, and co-wrote the Melody
in A Major (or Dawes Melody) in 1911. Songwriter Carl Sigman added
lyrics in 1951, changed the name to It’s All in the Game, and Tommy
Edwards later performed it in 1958.The tune topped the charts for six
weeks, and has since been covered by Cliff Richard, Nat “King” Cole,
Isaac Hayes, Barry Manilow, and other artists. Sadly, Dawes couldn’t
hear the fruit of his creative labors; he had been dead for seven years
by the time Tommy Edwards first performed the tune.
10. The United States’ current 50 star flag was designed as a school
project by 17 year-old Robert G. Heft. Heft received a B- for his
efforts, but his teacher said he would reconsider the grade if Congress
accepted Heft’s ostensibly mediocre design. In 1959, that’s precisely
what happened, and Heft’s design was selected to be the latest iteration
of the American flag. His teacher promptly changed the grade to an A.
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