10 Fun Facts About America

This article is coming at you from our friends over at Alpha Outpost

1. From the early days of grade school we were taught George Washington was the first President of the United States. This isn't entirely true. Before the constitution was ratified in 1788 the United States had the Articles of Confederation. Under the Articles of Confederation there were 8 presidents who held office. Technically John Hanson was the first President. The Articles of Confederation limited the term of office to 1 year. George Washington was the first president under the newly adopted constitution, he served as President from 1789-1797.

2. The iconic symbol of the democratic party, the "donkey" was adopted during the 1828 elections. Andrew Jacksons opponents during that election referred to him as a "jackass" for his claim to be a populist. (a member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of ordinary people.) His wit and stubbornness allowed him to spin that comment to his advantage. During his presidency he continued to use the donkey as a symbol of his stubbornness while continuing to veto the re-chartering of the National Bank.

3. George Washington owned a whiskey distillery. In 1799 he produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey. This made his distillery the largest in the United States during this time period.

4. Do you know who Robert G. Heft is? A lot of people don't. He only created the design for the 50 star American flag. At the age of 17 he submitted his design for a school project. His teacher at the time gave the project a B-. Robert's teacher agreed to bump his grade up if the design was approved by congress, which it was. Robert also had rights to designs of flags from 51-60 stars. He passed away in 2009 after suffering a heart attack.

5. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the July 4, 1826. They were the last 2 surviving members of the original revolutionaries who fought the British Empire. They went from friend to foe over the years. Jefferson served as VP to Adams during his presidency before becoming president in the next election. Their fallout revolved around the role the government. Jefferson, an anti-federalist believed in a more "hands off" government while Federalist John Adams was very adamant on a strong centralized government.

6. Honest Abe knew how to throw down. Over the course of 12 years and 300 wrestling matches he only lost once. He now holds a place in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

7. Andrew Johnson delivered his inauguration speech drunk. Johnson succeeded Lincoln after his assassination. He was known as a "lameduck" during his presidency. His impeachment failed by 1 vote.

8. Mary Walker, a civilian nurse during the civil war is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. On the battlefield she aided a number of civilian and military casualties. In April 1864 she was captured by the Confederate Army and held as a P.O.W. In August of 1864 the Confederate Army agreed to a prisoner swap to regain a Confederate surgeon.

9. What job in America has the highest death percentage? At 9.3% the President of the United States of America takes the cake. There have been 43 presidents (don't forget Grover Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th President) and 4 have been assassinated. Lets not forget about the number of attempts over the years too.. Ill take my chances on the battlefield before I run for the highest office.

10. After World War II the "Department of War" was renamed to the "Department of Defense."