I just read this in Ripley's Believe it or Not.

[thelionspaw]

John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independance on July 4th, 1776. Fifty-two others, added their signatures on August 2nd, 1776 and others signed even later than that. One of them in 1781.

Man! I'm just full of historical trivia today. Read my other two posts for today.

Pop quiz on Monday!

Oh! DD. You're safe. Tradition has the bells ringing at noon today so your foreign time zone (not Eastern ) has you in the clear with after dinner fire and smoke.

rc

[BoomLover]

Now that is some interesting info! The first "war" fought on this land, for Independence from England, and only one guy willing to sign the day it was presented! Eventually, 5% of the population actually were engaged in hostilities. Lots of fire and smoke later, and we succeded in kicking the British out (with a little help from our friends!) Wonder what % of the population it would take to re-gain our original freedoms? (Assuming it could be done!) BoomLover

[GGaskill]

Wonder what % of the population it would take to re-gain our original freedoms?

Probably not much more than 5% with good leadership and an incompetent enemy.

[thelionspaw]

Huh?!  You two want to go back to being British? 

[Cannoneer]

 Rich, this just dawned on me; When looking at the signatures on the Declaration, I've often wondered why Hancock decided to give new meaning to the words "writ large," I always presumed he wrote his name that large because he had a huge ego, but the real reason is simply that there were no other names there for him to gauge the size of his own signature by.

[thelionspaw]

John,
I feel he just shook his head in disbelief and said, "What the heck! All this work and I'm the only jamook that's here to sign this thing?"  and he let-her-rip.  We have to remember that Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, et al were terrorists. 

I remember seeing the Broadway show "1776" in the "Big Apple" years ago and I have a copy of the Hollywood version on VHS that I watch every year on the 4th. No cannons

I'm into artillery for the history of it; not just fire & smoke. I'm not into spending my Social Security cheque on fire crackers

rc

[carronader]

What makes you think the Brits would have you back? also the ' friends ' you had a little help from were mostly Brits. ;)Try not to forget the contribution made to your nation's heritage by the common citizen of these small islands who chose or were forced to land on your shores.
 Most if not all of the dreadfull legislature imposed on you was from the 'elite' of English society. 
  Suppose I had better get off my soapbox or DD will slap my wrist,just wanted to remind you of the contribution made by all sorts of nations to your heritage.

[Dixie Dude]

One of my grade school teachers said that John Hancock signed his name big so the king would not have to use his specticles to read it. 

[thelionspaw]

Actually, I believe the "glasses"  is/was a valid statement.

Thaddeus Kosciusko (Koo-shush-koo) the Father of American artillery.

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, von Steuben (von Stoy-bin) Inspector General of the Continental Army.

Casimir Pulaski (Pull-ah-ski) Chief of Dragoons.

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Lafayette (an easy one) Division Commander.

Vinny Boombotz, Trouble Shooter.

Ayyyyyyyyyyy lezz hear it fuh Vinny. My kyn-duh guy. Yo Vin!

[Cat Whisperer]

My hip-hip-hurray is for Casmir - I always root for the home-town guy!

 

[Cannoneer]

RC & Dixie Dude, I don't know if the story about J. Hancock signing his name super-sized, so that the balmy King George could read it without having to bother putting on his spectacles is apocryphal or not, but it sure sounds good. I copied the text below, from a website that gave short bios of all the signers of the D of I.
"The story, entirely unfounded, is that on signing the Declaration, Hancock commented, "The British ministry can read that name without spectacles; let them double their reward." An alternate story, also unfounded has him saying, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that!" He was the first to sign and he did so in an entirely blank space."

What makes you think the Brits would have you back?

Carronader, if my remembrance of the history lessons that I was taught are accurate, then a vast majority of Brits did indeed welcome us back with open arms on two separate occasions; the first was in 1917, and the second was in 1941.