From little-known trivia about United States presidents to amazing facts about the land we walk on, these facts about America will blow you away.  With 50 states and a near 250-year history, there’s lots to remember and discuss.  These include, in no particular order:

·      The current flag was designed by a 17-year-old.  It was in 1958 and was a high school project by Robert Heft, age 17.  He submitted his flag to the White House and received a call from President Eisenhower that it had been selected as the official U.S. flag.

·      They call it Lake Superior for a reason.  The largest freshwater lake in the world holds three quadrillion gallons of water.  That’s enough to cover both North and South America under a foot of water.

·      We love our pizza.  We eat enough pizza daily to cover 100 acres – that equals three billion pizzas a year,

·      Irene Triplett was the last recipient of an American Civil War pension. Her father served in the war, which entitled Triplett to a survivor’s benefit of $73.13 a month.

·      Americans are a generous bunch.  As of 2023, the U. S. is the fifth most generous country in the world.

·      The Constitution wasn’t original. The founding fathers modeled it after the Iroquois confederacy of Native American tribes.

·      We don’t have an official language.  The federal government has never declared an official language, not English or anything else.

·      You might be surprised by the oldest city.  Not Jamestown, Virginia.  It’s St. Augustine, Florida, controlled in 1821 by the United States.

·      That’s an old book.  The first book to be printed in America was “Bay Psalm Book” in 1640.

·      Independence Day could have been on July 2.  Why?  John Hancock became the first man to sign the Declaration on July 4.

·      Women rock in space.  The astronaut who has spent the most time in space is a woman – Peggy Whitson.

·      The words of the Liberty Bell.  “Pennsylvania” is spelled wrong on the Liberty Bell.  It reads, “Pensylvania.”

·      George Washington did not have wooden teeth.  Evidence has proven his dentures were made of donkey, horse, and human teeth.  And, he also told many lies.

·      Harriet Tubman was a war hero.  She led an armed excursion during the Civil War.

·      The Wright Brothers never went to college.  The inventors of the airplane never attended any secondary institution of education.

·      You have to see this bridge.  The oldest bridge in the United States is the Frankford Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It was erected in 1697.

·      George Washington never lived in the White House.  He did choose the site, but John Adams, second president, was the first to occupy the home in 1791, although it was still being built.

·      Presidents and Virginia are a thing.  Eight U. S. presidents were born in Virginia.  Seven were born in Ohio.

·      This library is old.  The Darby Free Library in Pennsylvania is the oldest continuously operating library in the country.  Opened by Quakers in 1743.

·      Talk about a big cave.  Mammoth Cave in Kentucky has more than 400 miles of cave explored.  It is the largest known natural cave system.

·      The real-life Barbie and Ken were siblings.  They were invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler of California.

·      Columbus never set foot on mainland North America.  The only visited sites were the Caribbean Island and parts of Central and South America.  Leif Erickson discovered America.

·      Long live the newspaper.  The oldest continuously run paper in the US is “The Hartford Courant,” which has been publishing since 1764.  “The Smithville Review” was founded in 1897.

·      Niagara Falls was the first State Park in the U.S. in 1885.  It was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York and the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina.

·      That’s a lot of money.  The largest circulated currency was the $10,000 bill.  The government stopped its publishing in 1969.

·      Alexander Hamilton established our first bank.  It was named the First Federal Bank in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It is now a Park Service Office.

·      The movies.  Hollywood has been making movies for more than 100 years.  The first movie was “in 1908 – The Count of Monte Cristo.

·      You owe your bifocals to Ben Franklin.  Add the Franklin Stove, the urinary catheter and swimming fins to his inventions.  A signer of the Declaration of Independence, he was also a revered inventor and scientist.

·      We grow a lot of corn.  It is the most widely grown produce in the U.S.  In 2019, farmers produced 91.7 million acres of corn.  That’s enough to fill 69 million football fields!

·      There are millions of descendants of the Mayflower.  Today, there are an estimated 10 million Americans and 35 million worldwide descendants of the Mayflower.  Among the most famous are John Adams, Julia Child, Humphrey Bogart and Norman Rockwell