It was an ordinary day. Looking through a variety of old books that carried a wealth of .... well, strange things. Not sure that I believe all of what I read, but I'll let it up to you as to what you may believe! Read on and see what you think...
1. Our current 50-star flag was designed as part of a high school project by 17-year-old Robert Heft. It was 1958, and there were only 48 states at the time, but Heft had a hunch Hawaii and Alaska would soon be granted statehood. His teacher gave him a B-, but went on to update the grade to an A after heft submitted his design to the White House, eventually leaving to a cll from President Eisenhower that it had been selected as the official U.S. flag.
2. A book believed to be the first-ever to be printed in America was Bay Psalm Book, published way back in 1640. In 2013, one of the 11 copies known to be still in existence sold at auction for $14.2 million. Needless to say, Bay Psalm Book is one of the most expensive books in the world.
3. One of the things many people don't know about Independence Day is that Congress officially declared its independence from England on July 2, 1776. We celebrate the holiday on the fourth of July because this is the day John Hancock became the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence.
4. Did you know the word Pennsylvania is spelled wrong on the Liberty Bell? Actually, "spelled wrong" is probably a bit harsh: In 1752 when the bell was made, "Pensylvania" was one of several acceptable spellings of the state name. Our forefathers also made some glaring grammar mistakes in the Constitution.
5. Amelia Earhart has seized the hearts and imagination of the country for decades. It seems every year a new conspiracy theory emerges about her disappearance. Unfortunately, all this mystery and intrigue tend to overshadow her achievement. Although it's well known that she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, many people lose sight of the fact that she was the second person, male of female, to fly solo across the Atlantic, period, after Charles Lindbergh.
6. The largest mammal in all of North America is the bison: The males are up to 6 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. If you want to see bison in the wild, there are nearly 5,000 of them in Yellowstone National Park, which is the only place to serve as a continuous home to the bison since prehistoric times.
7. Although George Washington chose the site of the White House in 1791, he never got to live in it. John and Abigail Adams were the first President and First Lady to move into the White House, and it was still under construction at the time. Since then, every president has resided in the White House while in office.
8. There are perhaps no criminals in America history more notorious than Frank and Jesse James. Popular folklore paints them as Robin Hood-like criminals who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but there is no evidence this is true. The truth is, the James Brothers committed their robberies for personal gain and, worse yet, sometimes murdered people in the process.
9. Many people like to portray Rosa Parks as an ordinary woman who was simply too tired to give up her seat on the bus to a white peron in Alabama. But, this narrative sells her short. The truth is, in 1955, when Rosa parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, she was already a leader in the Civil Rights Movement who went on to help organize and plan the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
10. Ben Franklin was famously one of the Founding Fathers of our country, but he was also a revered inventor and scientist. His inventions included bifocals, the Franklin stove, the urinary catheter and swimming fins. He is also one of the people who signed the U.S. Constitution.
There are many more people whom I could write about, but I must stop at 10, since I have run out of room on my desktop. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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