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21 interesting facts about America and its history

2022-07-04 18:36:50Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

21 interesting facts about America and its history
21 interesting facts about America and its history

 

Do you know who "Uncle Sammy" is? Why did the Democratic and Republican parties in the US adopt animal symbols?

Why are presidential elections always held on Tuesdays and in November... and other curiosities about American culture and history

1- "Uncle Sam"

21 interesting facts about America and its history

The phrase "Uncle Sam" was officially recognized by the US Congress as a symbol of the United States in 1961, but its history has its roots almost two centuries ago.

During the War of 1812 against Britain, the government chose Samuel Wilson, a New York butcher, as the army's food supplier.

Wilson shipped his merchandise in wooden barrels marked USA. The soldiers, knowing that the meat came from Samuel Wilson, began to call him "Uncle Sam", commenting every time the food arrived: "Uncle Sam's packages came".

In the years that followed, cartoonists began to distort the image of the original character, and today "Uncle Sam" is known around the world for James Montgomery Flagg's 1917 recruiting poster, but the butcher's face is still recognizable from the statue that Uncle Sam has in Massachusetts, his birthplace.

2- Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the USA adopted animal symbols

21 interesting facts about America and its history

The donkey of the Democratic Party and the elephant of the Republican Party have been on the political scene since the 19th century.

The origins of the Democratic donkey can be traced back to Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. During the race, Jackson's opponents called him "jackass". However, instead of rejecting the label, Jackson, a War of 1812 hero who later served in the US House and Senate, was happy with the name and included the animal's image in his campaign posters. Jackson defeated incumbent John Quincy Adams and served as America's first Democratic president.

In 1870, influential political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the donkey as the symbol of the Democratic Party.

The Republican Party was formed in 1854 and 6 years later Abraham Lincoln became the first elected member of the White House. An image of an elephant appeared as a Republican symbol in a political cartoon and a newspaper illustration during the Civil War.

The elephant did not become a symbol of the Republican Party until Thomas Nast, who is considered the father of modern political cartoons, used it in a cartoon for Harper's Newspaper. Titled "Third Term Panic," Nast's cartoon was mocked by the New York Herald, which was critical of President Ulysses Grant's third term and portrayed interest groups as various animals, including an elephant labeled "Republican vote." ".

Nast used the elephant to represent Republicans in other cartoons during the 1870s.

3- "Teddy bear" and Roosevelt

"Teddy bear" was coined when Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (1858-1919) one day refused to kill a small bear cub. This event, which was reported in the news, inspired a children's toy manufacturer to design and produce the teddy bear.

4- The first American flag

21 interesting facts about America and its history

The first American flag was a little different than today's. He had 13 stars instead of the 50 he has today.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution on the design of the United States flag. The resolution envisioned a flag with 13 horizontal red and white stripes, representing the then states of America. The flag would also have a blue field with 13 white stars.

The Continental Congress has not left notes on why it had chosen such colors and design of the flag. However, a letter from George Washington may explain this selection.

"We have taken the stars from heaven, the red from our country of origin, dividing it with white stripes and thus showing that we have separated from it. The white belts will be passed down to future generations, representing freedom."

The flag of the United States is one of the oldest national symbols in the world. Only the base flags of England, Austria, Denmark, Holland and Switzerland are older than it. June 14, the day the Continental Congress passed the resolution on the design of the flag, is known as American Flag Day.

5- Marijuana

Marijuana has not always been an illegal crop. In the 1800s, in Kentucky, marijuana was a major agricultural crop.

At that time, marijuana was not used for drinking (smoking), but for its fibers, called hemp, which were used in ships, for rope, twine, paper and canvas. This agricultural culture was also cultivated by George Washington himself.

6- The Smiths against Vietnam

During the war in Vietnam, 58,152 American soldiers lost their lives, of which 667 had the surname "Smith", 557 the surname "Johnson" and 406 the surname "William".

7- Why on Tuesday, why in November...

21 interesting facts about America and its history

The US presidential election has always been held on a Tuesday in November due to weather, harvest and religious observances.

In the days when voters traveled by horse to the polls, Tuesday was an ideal day because people performed religious rites on Sunday, rode to their county seat on Monday, and voted on Tuesday, all of which was done before Wednesday. which was market day.

November was convenient because in this month the annual agricultural work was completed and the weather was still good for traveling by horse and buggy.

8- The old flag

The current 50-star US flag was designed by a 17-year-old as part of a school project in 1958. He received a B- grade.

9- Great Lake

21 interesting facts about America and its history

There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire landmass of North and South America by a foot.

10- Wholesale pizza

In America, enough pizza is produced per day to cover 404,000 square meters.

11- The powerful army

The largest air force in the world is the US Air Force. In second place again are the US Navy and the US Army combined together.

12- Old rivers

3 of the 5 oldest rivers in the world flow in America. They are hundreds of millions of years old.

14- The deadliest job in America

21 interesting facts about America and its history

Statistically, the deadliest job in America is … being president. Out of 44 people who held the position, 4 were killed in the line of duty.

15- An entrepreneurial president

The only American president to have a patent was Abraham Lincoln. His patent was for a device that lifted ships out of the sand when they got stuck.

16- The president you should not deal with

The only executive president was Grover Cleveland. As the sheriff of Erie County in New York he hanged a murderer.

17- In praise of the pilgrims

One in 10 Americans may be related by blood to one of the 102 pilgrims who arrived aboard the Mayflower in 1620. But these are still believed to be Thanksgiving myths.

18- The FBI is watching them

1 in 3 Americans have their fingerprints on FBI files.

19- A nation of do-gooders

According to the World Giving Index, Americans are the people most likely to help a stranger.

20- Thanks to the firefighters

More than 69% of firefighters in America are volunteers

21- The real Independence Day

21 interesting facts about America and its history

The day Congress voted for independence from British rule was July 2, 1776.

July 4th is when John Hancock first signed the Declaration of Independence.

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