# 99 little know facts about the founding of the USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604 "2011-07-02T05:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/61 "2011-07-05T15:35:37Z")
Benadict Arnold’s given birth name was “Benadick Arnold Dick.” His twin sister was “Mulva Delores Dick.” ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/62 "2011-07-05T15:59:10Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > I don’t think this is true. It is well documented that Ben Franklin established the Post Office so that he could be sure he didn’t miss a single issue of Playboy by having to find it on the newsstand. > > He started mailing penis sketches years later. You’re right, of course- I completely forgot about Franklin and his Playboys. In fact, I believe it was Franklin who had the original idea for Playboy magazine when he suggested to his college roommate Hugh Hefner\* that Hef start publishing his woodcut prints of naked women. \*Hefner will be celebrating his 275th birthday next year. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/63 "2011-07-05T16:15:41Z")
Ben Franklin defeated the Russians in the South Pacific so that we could celebrate Fireworks Day on July 4th. July 4th has now been added to the official list of Monday holidays. January 1st will be adjusted each year to make sure that July 4th is always a Monday from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/64 "2011-07-05T16:48:58Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > A little known facht\* is that the perpetrators of the Boston Tea Party originally intended to **steal** the tea and sell it on the black market. But the wagons that were supposed to help carry away the loot never arrived, and so the tea had to be dumped. > > - a facht is something that is troo. Thanks for clearing this up. I had always heard that “tea” was short for THC, and couldn’t figure out why anybody felt the need to tack “party” on the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/65 "2011-07-05T17:42:51Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > You’re right, of course- I completely forgot about Franklin and his Playboys. In fact, I believe it was Franklin who had the original idea for Playboy magazine when he suggested to his college roommate Hugh Hefner\* that Hef start publishing his woodcut prints of naked women. > \*Hefner will be celebrating his 275th birthday next year. And he’s still getting the babes. Damn! Another little known fact about Ben Franklin is that he made his real fortune on insider trading of Publisher’s Clearing House stock. He also rigged the first PCH “Million Dollar Giveaway” by having the Post Office only deliver one entry, his own, before the deadline. The day after the deadline wagons from the Post Office delivered 27 million entries to the PCH offices. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/66 "2011-07-05T18:47:26Z")
“Boston Tea” isn’t actually tea, it refers to macrame baskets woven out of horse hair. A “cup of tea” refers to the ancient practice of carrying one’s opponent’s decapitated head home in the basket for display. Similarly, “Boston Baked Beans” are neither baked, nor beans. They are fried chicken wattles. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/67 "2011-07-05T18:54:59Z")
John Hancock drew much public fury for his sexting while the Continental Congress was in session. At this time that involved having miniatures of his genitalia painted and then conveying them to various ladies across New England via carrier pigeons. History recalls the next to last words of Nathan Hale- “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country”- but not his last words- “His name is Bud Newton and he lives at 232 Queen Caroline Drive, Flushing, New York”. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/68 "2011-07-05T20:22:24Z")
When George Washington adopted his now-famous moniker, he didn’t just abandon the name Leon Shingledown. He abandoned his whole family- his wife Myrtle, his son Leon Jr. and the twins, Walter and Paisley. When Leon Jr’s classmates would taunt him with “Who’s your daddy?” he would reply “George Washington!” and the other boys would laugh and throw cherries at him. Leon Jr. eventually moved to Canada and changed his name to Leon Shatner. Walter became an alcoholic and would occasionally mount a drunken one-man assault on Mt. Vernon. “Let me in!” he would shout. “Let me in or at least give me a fish taco.” Paisley had a long career as an exotic dancer in Philadelphia. No one knows what became of Myrtle, but rumor has it that John Adams provided her with an apartment in Boston where she was his mistress for many years. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliothecarius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bibliothecarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliothecarius)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/69 "2011-07-06T10:53:14Z")
There is an invisible treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. This is a well known fact discovered after George III, upon receiving his copy in triplicate as requested, accidentally spilt a glass of lemon juice on it, revealing the secret map. Unfortunately, the directions are written in the ancient, long forgotten language of Esperanto (which, as every schoolchild knows, has not been spoken or studied for more than 16,000 years), so no one has ever been able to read them. This caused the British to start the War of 1812 in an effort to decipher the map by capturing a talking mongoose from the state of Alaska who was rumored to understand Esperanto. The rumors proved to be false, so they burned the White House instead. Then-president Millard Fillmore was forced to live in his car while they built a new one. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/70 "2011-07-06T13:44:55Z")
Leon Shingleton not only carved his own teeth, he also carved himself a new kidney and a new nose when they were shot off in the Battle of Walla Walla. The kidney worked surprisingly well, but the nose was rather shapeless and lumpy, as can be seen in Washington’s official portraits. Washington painted it bright red for battles, so that everybody would know who he was. In fact, the reason he stood up during the crossing of whatever the hell that river was, was so that his nose could guide the other boats across. Led to the famous lyric, “Leon with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my boats tonight?” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/71 "2011-07-06T14:55:38Z")
Benjamin Franklin lived for a short time n Alaska, where his kitchen window had a great view of Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/72 "2011-07-06T15:07:08Z")
> [@Bibliothecarius](#): > > There is an invisible treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. This is a well known fact discovered after George III, upon receiving his copy in triplicate as requested, accidentally spilt a glass of lemon juice on it, revealing the secret map. Unfortunately, the directions are written in the ancient, long forgotten language of Esperanto (which, as every schoolchild knows, has not been spoken or studied for more than 16,000 years), so no one has ever been able to read them. This caused the British to start the War of 1812 in an effort to decipher the map by capturing a talking mongoose from the state of Alaska who was rumored to understand Esperanto. The rumors proved to be false, so they burned the White House instead. Then-president Millard Fillmore was forced to live in his car while they built a new one. The existence of the map is well-known among the Esperanto-speaking community. (We maintain the fiction that Esperanto is no longer spoken or studied, and indeed was was created in the late 1800s, as a measure of social engineering to increase security.) There is some dispute as to the nature of the treasure, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/73 "2011-07-06T15:36:08Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Abraham Lincoln piloted a river boat up the Mississippi all the way from Atlanta to Washington D.C. battling hurricanes and pirates the whole way. This is patently incorrect, all you had to do was to look at [his biography on Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln,_Vampire_Hunter) :rolleyes: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/74 "2011-07-06T23:50:45Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > This is patently incorrect, all you had to do was to look at [his biography on Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln,_Vampire_Hunter) :rolleyes: > > 😉 Just because my anecdote isn’t mentioned in that otherwise very accurate biography doesn’t mean it didn’t happen! I mean, whose made-up facts are you gonna believe, a critically acclaimed best-selling author or an unknown Doper-lurker? Anyway, I stand by my other statements. Except for the one which **R. P. McMurphy** called into question in post #60. And any others that people actually look up. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/75 "2011-07-07T00:21:32Z")
There was no such place as Fort Ticonderoga. It was a scam cooked up by Ethan Allen and the British. Allen got to claim a victory that grew a bit bigger every time he told it (later versions include his mano a mano battle with a headless giant and taking on 82 eunuch ninja with a single shot pistol) while the British got to put in a big fat insurance claim. The fort that is there now was raised quickly only when the insurance company sent a claims adjustor after the war and was in an empty shell. Most northeastern native Americans relocated voluntarily to take advantage of job openings in western casinoes. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/76 "2011-07-07T02:11:13Z")
Cockfighting was a huge sport in Colonial America and occasionally they were used in the judicial system. A person suspected of loyalty to the king would be put into the cockpit with a rooster and if the rooster attacked, the person was found guilty and flogged or fined, while if the rooster didn’t attack the person was declared innocent and released. The name of this judicial procedure was wait for it wait for it Chicken-Catch-a-Tory ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/77 "2011-07-07T14:37:37Z")
There were no actual naval battles in the Revolutionary War. Instead, night after night, desperate games of _Battleship!_ were played. “You sunk my battleship!” was the defeated cry of the British. StG ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/78 "2011-07-07T14:42:39Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > There were no actual naval battles in the Revolutionary War. Instead, night after night, desperate games of _Battleship!_ were played. “You sunk my battleship!” was the defeated cry of the British. > > StG Nitpick: in the eighteenth century, the game was know as “Man O’ War”. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/79 "2011-07-07T15:44:51Z")
**Lumpy** - No, they played the Hasbro version. Near the end of the war, they played the [electronic version](http://www.amazon.com/BATTLESHIP-Electronic-Talking-Battleship-1982/dp/B002JQF7VA/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1310053426&sr=1-6). StG ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604/80 "2011-07-07T16:06:36Z")
The key factor in the British defeat in the American Revolution was their decision to base their entire strategy on air superiority. This was revealed as a poor plan in the midst of the war when it was discovered the airplane had not been invented. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-know-facts-about-the-founding-of-the-usa/587604.md?page=5)