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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Gardens may go down in history as one of the most star-studded and elaborate nuptials the city has ever seen. The event all but overshadowed America's 4th of July Independence Day celebrations.
Now that the confetti has settled, people are getting the chance to reminisce on years gone by in the land of the free and the home of the brave. But they're not just discussing the general historical facts that you'd likely find in a history text book.
Someone asked, "On Americas 250th anniversary what’s one crazy fact about its history you wish more people knew about?" and some of the answers might surprise you. Bored Panda has put together a list of the best responses for anyone eager to find out more about what makes the United States truly unique.
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#1
The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.
America might celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July but that's not actually the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Continental Congress voted to gain independence from Britain on the 2nd of July, 1776 and formally adopted the declaration two days later on July 4. It wasn't fully signed by all signatories until August.
Former president John Adams was so adamant that American independence should be commemorated on July 2, that he reportedly refused to take part in 4th of July celebrations throughout his lifetime.
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#2
So most people know the trivia fact that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird but that's not exactly accurate. He was distressed that everyone else wanted the bald eagle and in a letter to ... I think it was to his sister? ... he said 'I'd almost rather have the turkey as the national bird, as silly as that sounds.'.
Kristy Marion 1 hour ago
Well, it's certainly a more appropriate bird while Trump and his cronies are in charge
#3
Almost all of the original boundary stones for Washington DC are still in the same spot they were placed in 1790-91. Even the ones in Virginia that aren't part of DC any more. The city was originally a diamond shape, but everything west of the Potomac was returned to Virginia in 1846.
The stones are in all sorts of odd places, peoples yards, in the woods, one is in the middle of a street. The wiki page has pictures of the locations.
Americans may not all sit around scrolling through historical facts on Independence Day but many do love a good hot dog. In fact, Hawaii's Khon2 News reports that around 150 million hot dogs are eaten every 4th of July. To put it into perspective, the BBC reveals that's enough hot dogs "to stretch from Washington D.C. on the east coast of the USA to L.A. on the west coast more than five times."
And the obsession with hot dogs isn't confined to the 4th of July. “Americans eat an estimated 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day,” says Eric Mittenthal, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
#4
The US Constitution is intentionally arranged in the order it is to show the branches’ importance.
The most powerful branch is supposed to be Congress. The weakest branch is supposed to be the Judiciary. The President and the executive branch fit right in the middle.
When the United States was created, the capital city was intentionally left out of a State; otherwise, that State could hold the whole Country hostage.
#5
To date, the most decorated regiment by a wide margin was made of Asian Americans during WW2. During the time we treated them worst, they gave America the best it would ever get
Between 18k men, the 442 Regiment earned
*21 Medals of Honor (The highest military decoration in the United States)
*52 Distinguished Service Crosses
*588 Silver Stars
*22 Legion of Merit Medals
*15 Soldier Medals
*More than 4,000 Bronze Star Medals
*9,486 Purple Hearts (Earned by soldiers wounded or k****d in action)
*7 Presidential Unit Citations (The highest unit level award).
Forrest Hobbs 53 minutes ago
442nd Infantry Regiment. 1500 of the volunteers had been held captive by the US in internment camps; their families remained imprisoned by the USA while they fought. 'in 2012, all surviving members were made chevaliers of the French Légion d'Honneur for their actions contributing to the liberation of France and their heroic rescue of the Lost Battalion'. I don't have the words. Link follows.
#7
Oklahoma has a panhandle because Texas refused to give up slavery, so they gave up their land above the 36°30' parallel instead.
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago (edited)
Texas rebelled against Mexico because Texians refused to give up slavery. If Mexico hadn't abolished slavery, Texas might never have joined the USA. Link follows.
#8
Thomas Jefferson believed giant sloths were still alive in the West and instructed Lewis and Clark to be on the lookout for some.
#9
The story of the Conch Republic; when Key West, FL seceded from the U.S. and declared war on the U.S.
#10
The preamble of the Constitution explains *why* we have the government we formed:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
'We the People' it says - funny thing, though - 'the People' involved were exclusively white men. Think about that if you will - the United States was created by and for the benefit of white men... (I'm a white man myself, not got a problem with white men as such. What I do have a problem with is the whole idea of white men being the only ones allowed to be in charge of anything...)
#11
George Washington’s favorite drink was called a cherry bounce and it is really f*****g good
It’s a 1700s-era spiced cherry cordial that was a personal favorite of George Washington. According to his diary, he carried it with him on long journeys, including his presidential tour of the South in 1791.
It’s not just historical trivia—this stuff is delicious. It’s rich, fruity, and complex after aging, and it makes a great sipper or cocktail base.
Ingredients:
•1 quart brandy (VS or VSOP works great)
•1 lb fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
•¾ cup sugar
•Zest of 1 lemon
•1 cinnamon stick
•2–3 whole cloves
Instructions:
1. Muddle the cherries and sugar together in a large mason jar or wide-mouth bottle.
2. Add the lemon zest, cinnamon stick, cloves, and brandy.
3. Shake the jar every few days.
4. After steeping, strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Bottle and store.
His wife Martha also had a great Rum Punch recipe he kept in a tureen near the entrance at Mount Vernon and have a ladle of it coming into the house.
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
How much of this wonderful concoction did the hereditary sl@ve owner George Washington allow his sl@ves to taste? 🤔
#12
When they first announced the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston, nobody could understand what the soldier tasked with reading it was saying, so they had to make him stop and get a different guy.
#13
After Vicksburg fell in 1863, the city did not celebrate the 4th of July for over 80 years.
#14
Thomas Jefferson absolutely LOVED macaroni, and regularly ate mac and cheese.
Forrest Hobbs 1 hour ago
What a lot of people don't know is that the earliest known recipe for macaroni cheese is English. 😁 Link follows.
#15
Arlington Cemetery was the property where Robert E. Lee's home stood. People started leaving the corpses of soldiers that died in the Civil War (both sides) in his front yard and eventually they had to be buried. It just became a graveyard.
Also the construction of the Washington Monument was halted for years because of the war. All effort and materials went to the war effort and that's why the stones appear to be different colors.
#16
The first g*n control laws in the US were passed after the Civil War to keep recently freed black slaves from arming themselves and attacking white people. California under Reagan also cracked down on gun ownership when Black Panthers started patrolling the streets when the police wouldn't protect their neighborhoods.
#17
Wilmington, NC, 1898. The only successful violent overthrow of a democratically elected government in United States history.
In the 1890s, Wilmington, North Carolina, was a thriving, majority-Black city governed by a biracial "Fusion" coalition of Black Republicans and white Populists. Furious at losing power, wealthy white Democrats orchestrated a sophisticated white supremacy campaign in 1898. They used heavily armed paramilitary groups, like the Red Shirts, alongside racist media propaganda to violently intimidate Black voters and manipulate the state elections.
On November 10, 1898, two days after the election, an armed mob of roughly 2,000 white men attacked and burned down the city’s Black-owned newspaper. The violence quickly escalated into a coordinated m******e in the streets, resulting in the m****r of an estimated 60 to 300 Black residents. Later that afternoon, the mob marched on city hall and forced the democratically elected mayor and biracial board of aldermen to resign at g*npoint, immediately replacing them with coup leaders.
Following the coup, prominent Black citizens and their white political allies were forced onto trains and permanently banished from the state. The newly installed regime used Wilmington as a blueprint to pass sweeping Jim Crow laws, including poll taxes and literacy tests, which effectively stripped Black citizens of their voting rights across North Carolina for generations. For over a century, the event was covered up and falsely framed as a "race riot" until a 2006 state commission officially recognized it as the only successful violent overthrow of a government in U.S. history.
#18
Lafayette was only 19 when he ignored the King of France’s request that he not depart for the colonies where he used his considerable wealth to help fund the Continental Army. He eventually convinced France to help the colonials in their fight for independence, which was the turning point for the Revolutionary War. 141 years later, US troops would arrived win France to give aid during WW1. Led by Colonel Stanford, the men visited Lafayette’s grave on July 4,1917 to announce “Lafayette, we are here!”.
#19
The Business Plot of 1933. This was when a bunch of wealthy right-wing business owners tried to plan a coup to overthrow Roosevelt and establish a f*scist regime. Their plot involved getting a half-million disillusioned WWI vets to create a paramilitary force to march on Washington.
To lead their effort, they approached Major Butler. Instead of going along with their effort, he acted as an informant. In 1934, he went before Congress and testified against the right-wing fascists.
It is important to note, however, that even though this was all found credible, not a single one of those right-wing wealthy fascists suffered any consequences.
So what we are seeing now isn't the first time we have faced wealthy right-wing fascists trying to overthrow the government. It's just the first time that they're succeeding.
#20
Recent fact I have learned this last week from the African American History Museum is that the White House and other different historic buildings in DC were all built by slaves. It was common during construction to see slaves working as well as being transported and sold right in front of the White House. They had “s***e pens” CONNECTED DIRECTLY to the White House, that were built to keep the slaves together with no water or cover during heat. It was just like pig pens. It really shows that even our most patriotic monuments and historical areas are tainted. I feel that often slaves are mentioned in our reconstruction, but not many people know the extent or blatant mistreatment that our country endorsed in those times.
Multa Nocte (she/her/86 47) 51 minutes ago
And Trump and his MAGAts are doing their best to hide this by defunding and taking apart museums and organisations that cover this.
#21
After the Civil War, Union soldier William Monks of Missouri returned and sued the widows of the confederate supporters who gave him up to the Confederate army. He spent nearly the rest of his life hating on former confederates and the K*K, and became the most hated man in southern Missouri. His own brother would never return to the county after the war because he was a Confederate.
#22
The Tulsa m******e. I didn't learn about in school, in fact I didn't learn about it until an episode of The Watchmen talked about it. Seems like something that every American should know about.
#23
You know the stories of early settlers fleeing from the European oppressors in favour of freedom of religion? Well they were our religious loonies. There's a reason why Americans have such a problem with religious fanatics, it's because they descend from those weirdos.
Forrest Hobbs 26 minutes ago
The problem those religious extremists fleeing to America had is that they couldn't convince their European neighbours that their idea of 'religion' should be imposed on everyone. They were running away from religious freedom so they could enforce their own brand of religious intolerance.
#24
TULSA RACE M******E.
Believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history, the bloody 1921 outbreak in Tulsa has continued to haunt Oklahomans. During the course of eighteen terrible hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921, more than one thousand homes and businesses were destroyed, while credible estimates of deaths range from fifty to three hundred. By the time the violence ended, the city had been placed under martial law, thousands of Tulsans were being held under armed guard, and the state's second-largest African American community had been burned to the ground.
#25
Morocco was the First Nation to recognize americas sovereignty. That is why I am cheering for them versus Canada today in World Cup.
Forrest Hobbs 58 minutes ago
I hope everyone cheered Belgium on as they defeated the US cheats in the match today (7th July). US cheats? Yeah - the OrangeRapist bullied FIFA into lifting US striker's Folarin Balogun's one match red card ban. Link follows.
#26
Until the January 6th insurrection the closest the Confederate flag was advanced in violence on the Capitol was 4 miles, at the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11–12, 1864.
President Abraham Lincoln was present at the Battle. Lincoln became the only sitting American President to come under direct enemy fire, prompting an officer to famously insist that he take cover.
Approximately 360,000 union soldiers died under the Stars and Stripes between 1861 and 1865, yet the Confederate Battle Flag entered the U.S. Capitol building around 2:15 p.m. EST on January 6, 2021.
Rioter Kevin Seefried, among the first group to breach the building near the Senate Wing Door, carried the Confederate battle flag inside and was later photographed marching with it through the halls.
Current US president watched on TV for more than 2 hours, ignoring pleas from top aides and his children to defend the Capitol. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) urgently called the Department of Defense, the acting Attorney General, and the governor of Virginia to request military backup.
#27
The confederate flag only started being flown at people’s homes in the 1950s and 60s as a direct response to the Civil Rights movement.
#28
Despite all the talk of “the Deep South”, the southernmost state, geographically, is Hawaii.
If Puerto Rico ever becomes a state, however, it will supplant Hawaii as the southernmost state and Maine as the easternmost state.
#29
The Vikings arrived in North America 620 years before the Plymouth Rock Pilgrims landing of 1620 or the Columbus continental 1492 visit.
Forrest Hobbs 47 minutes ago
Ahem. Columbus never reached the American continent in 1492. He did remain aboard his ship while some of his crew landed on the coast of what's not Venezuela - that was in 1498.
#30
At one point Abe Lincoln considered creating a brand new state to put all the black people in, after the Emancipation Proclamation.
#31
Andrew Jackson was the fistfighting-est president we ever had. Theodore Roosevelt is usually thought of for this distinction, but his were all formal boxing matches, mostly at Harvard. Jackson would just brawl with people he disagreed with, if he didn't challenge them to a duel, that is; he participated as a principal combatant in more than a dozen of them.
Edit: I feel like it's relevant for me to add that he is one of my least favorite presidents.
#32
US military and society treated literal N**i prisoners better than black US soldiers.
Since bases were segregated, black soldiers weren’t allowed to use white facilities or drink the good stuff like Coca Cola. So they would have to bribe N**i pows on base who had access to those things to get it for them.
Sometimes, the Nazis got to go into town and eat at the diners and the white business owners would embrace the Nazis and be kind, gracious hosts while kicking the black soldiers out or throwing their food at them out the back door.
#33
In 1835 Ohio and Michigan Territory almost went to war with each other over Toledo. The conflict was due, in part, to inaccurate maps. Michigan eventually gave the Toledo strip to Ohio in exchange for the Upper Peninsula. Lucrative copper deposits were discovered in the UP a few decades later.
Forrest Hobbs 46 minutes ago
Seems a bit strange for two American regions to be fighting over part of Spain. Links follow.
#34
Abe Lincoln was an elite, trash-talking wrestler. Out of around 300 matches, he was only defeated once (or so they say). His legendary strength and grappling skills earned him an "Outstanding American" honor in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. My favorite line he spoke was “I'm the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!”
Absolute legend. No wonder Tyler Durden wanted to fight him.
Con O Cuinn 33 minutes ago
Also, this was back when there were no real codified rules for wrestling, it was basically MMA
#35
The United States has multiple archeological sites that contain arenas for a variation of the Mesoamerican ball game (Pok-ta-pok in mayan but obviously called something different in Aridoamerica or Oasisamerica).
#36
George Washington was not technically the first president.
Technically, John Hanson was the first person to hold the exact title "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" under the Articles of Confederation in 1781. However, George Washington is universally recognized as the first president of the modern United States under the U.S. Constitution.
While Hanson's position was primarily a ceremonial presiding role rather than the head of an executive branch, seven men held the title of President of Congress prior to Washington.
#37
July 4 1776 is NOT when the US became a sovereign country, July 4 is when we told the Brits to kick rocks. September 3 1783 the Treaty Of Paris was signed ending the Revolutionary War and the true founding of the USA.
Forrest Hobbs 39 minutes ago
Ahem. When the American colonial traitors signed their declaration of independence, they were Brits - traitors to their king and all that. 1783 was when the 13 American colonies were officially recognised as independent in a series of treaties between the American colonies, Great Britain and the nations that supported the American cause, including France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic. Link follows.
#39
The statue of Liberty was given to the US to celebrate the abolition of slavery. The creator wanted to display her removing slavery chains more prominently but had to settle with having her stepping out of chains at her feet; the chains aren't visible in most pictures and depictions of the statue. But they're there.
#40
Louisiana already had a black governor and lieutenant governor and Mississippi had a black senator and secretary of state in the 1870s.
#41
Most people don't realize that during the American Revolution, the Continental Army was actually smaller and less equipped than many modern urban police forces. The war wasn't won by overwhelming military might, but by sheer persistence and a series of strategic blunders by the British that we were just lucky enough to capitalize on.
Forrest Hobbs 35 minutes ago
What even more people don't realise is that the reason the American colonial traitors won their war of independence is that they were supported by Spain, France, and the Netherlands who all three fought against Britain. The Americans just had to hang on while their global superpower allies did most of the dirty work.
#42
How utterly brutal and bloody the American Revolution was, esp in the Southern theater. Families were split in half. Neighbours k*****g each other. Mass arson, pillaging, t*****e, maiming...really partisan warfare esp between militias.
That war traumatized people for a generation.
Forrest Hobbs 28 minutes ago
Yeah, us Europeans know. Try visiting the Balkans some day. Or - well, lots of places...
#43
Up into the 1980s the US government pushed hard for indigenous women to get sterilized, doctors would pressure them into it, even at times performing the procedure without consent.
#44
I have yet another one:
Abraham Lincoln said that one of the books that defined his political ideology was "Sufferings in Africa-The Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce"
Its the story of an American shipwreck off the coast of Africa, and how the crew were taken into slavery by Arab tribesmen and marched across the Sahara. Beaten, Starved, traded, forced to drink their own and camel urine, its an incredible story of survival as told by the Captain of the Commerce -James Riley.
An updated version of the story "Skeletons on the Zahara" by Dean King is available, and is a book I recommend on here regularly.
#45
People should know about Victoria Woodhull: First female presidential candidate (before they were even allowed to vote), first female to operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, staunch advocate for free love and equal rights, founder of a newspaper which published the first English version of the Communist Manifesto.
Among other things, some of which are a bit unsavory.
Forrest Hobbs 21 minutes ago
It's oh so very easy to tarnish a reputation with a few trigger phrases. People *should* know about Victoria Woodhull - but they should learn about her by reading properly informed sources. This short description here misrepresents her very badly. No, I'm not going to provide a link - look her up yourself.
#46
During the peace negotiations after the Revolution, the US wanted the British to return the escaped slaves who joined British ranks for the promise of freedom (both Washington and Jefferson notably wanted theirs back too).
The British refused, intending to keep this promise.
#47
Fun fact: there was a dude, Joshua Abraham Norton, who declared himself emperor and everyone just went along with it in San Francisco
Terrible fact: read up on William Howard Taft in the Philippines. It’s horrifying.
Fun fact: the father of modern psychiatry, Dr. Benjamin Rush, is also the guy who got Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to rekindle their friendship.
Terrible fact: honestly I don’t want to think about more terrible facts. I’m still bummed out for the last one, and there’s too many to choose from.
#49
That in 1966, Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a single game for the Polk High School Panthers in the city championship game!
#51
That the Epstein files are damning to twump and his entire criminal class.
Forrest Hobbs 37 minutes ago
Well, that's only conjecture, since the OrangeRapist refused to release the full Epstein files. I mean, he promised in his election campaign he'd release the lot, but for some strange reason, we don't seem to have seen everything... 🤔
#52
The US flags of the previous official star counts never "go obsolete" - they always remain legally-recognized national flags.
You want a Stars-And-Stripes to symbolize the USA? You have 27 to choose from.
#53
James Wilkinson, the head (Senior Officer, now called “Commanding General”) of the United States Army was for most of his professional career **a spy for the Spanish Empire**. He is the highest ranking confirmed traitor in American military history.
He would later be instrumental in Aaron Burr’s arrest for treason, having doctored a letter allegedly from Burr to make it look like Burr was guilty of a plot to separate the American western frontier from the United States: a plot Wilkinson himself pitched to Spain in the 1790’s but they declined to fund it.
Forrest Hobbs 12 minutes ago
Well, no, this isn't true. All those involved in the self-proclaimed Confederate States of America's war against the USA were traitors, and many of them were of higher rank. Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution defines treason as Levying war against the nation or Adhering to its enemies by giving them aid and comfort. So, they were all traitors, every one of them.
#54
John Quincy Adams regularly went skinny dipping in the Potomac as part of his morning health routine while President.
Forrest Hobbs 10 minutes ago
Except... Going swimming back then was a normal exercise routine, and also back then, no-one would have thought of wearing clothes while doing so.
#55
Lincoln was almost the first governor of the Oregon territory but his wife didn’t want to move out there.
#56
Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States
The Declaration of Independence was not actually signed on July 4th. Most of it was written on July 2nd, but there were minor changes and the final draft was approved on July 4th, but the actual signings were in August. In fact, Matthew Thornton did not sign it until November when he took his seat and Thomas McKean didn't sign it until 1777 (or even later).
#57
While the United States is largely considered a young country, we are one of the oldest countries still operating under it's original founding documents/government with no government collapse, revolution, collapses, etc.
Forrest Hobbs 29 minutes ago
Yeah, only that's utter nonsense. According to the US, the US dates itself to 1776. It wasn't recognised as a nation until 1783.The US didn't get a constitution - the 'founding document' - until 1789, but it's no longer operating in its original form. The US was violently torn apart in 1861 by the secession of the s***e states, leading to the US civil war - sounds like some sort of revolution to me. The most recent update to the 'founding documents" (constitution) of the USA was the 1992 Twenty-seventh Amendment. Meanwhile: England has existed since circa 927 AD and wasn't created by documents.
#58
There was a quirky conflict called the Pig War with the United Kingdom. The only casualty was a pig, yet the two nations nearly went to war. UK/USA have such a funny relationship.
#59
That Mel Gibson did not actually serve in both the Revolutionary War or the Vietnam War. He was just acting.
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