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One more patriotic post – back to normal next week.  Happy weekend all!

In keeping with the patriotic theme, today I’m throwing back to a short visit I made to Boston in 2016.  I was on a cruise to Nova Scotia that made a stop for the day in Boston so a return trip to explore more is definitely on my bucket list.  Here are some of the sites we took in:

Happy 4th of July!  Today we commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence – but that bit of history is just a little bit wrong.  The text of the Declaration was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th – but there was no actual signing ceremony held.  In fact, before it was released to the printer for publication, it may have only had 1 signature attached – John Hancock’s as president of the Second Continental Congress.    The initial printing of the Declaration numbered about 200 copies by a man named John Dunlap.  Those first copies were called Dunlap’s broadside and were distributed/copied throughout the colonies.  Today, only 26 of the original Dunlap broadsides still exist.

The copy of the Declaration with the signatures we’re all familiar with is known as the engrossed copy.  This copy was written on parchment – most likely by the Congressional clerk Thomas Matlack  – and did note have its last signatures affixed until sometime in August 1776.

Want to know more about the Declaration of Independence?  Check out the Wikipedia article and the links within it – it is WELL worth your time to read!

No matter what the actual signing date of the Declaration, today we celebrate the 242nd birthday of our nation – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Last week I wrote about Alexander Hamilton having a to-do list that was Non-Stop.  Well I think Thomas Jefferson was probably right up there with him.  Jefferson was Hamilton’s largest political rival as well as a prolific writer, diplomat, statesman and all around renaissance man.  Did you know that in addition to being the principle author of the Declaration of Independence he was also a noted architect, economist, paleontologist, astronomer and musician?  Really what couldn’t he do?

Fun facts about Thomas:

• Tom LOVED books.  When the Library of Congress was burned by the British in 1814, Tom offered his personal collection of books to restart the library.   How many books in the donation?  6,487 – wow!
• While Jefferson was an amazing writer, he was a horrible public speaker.  While giving speeches, it is said he was not able to speak well in front of a crowd and frequently mumbled or spoke so low that he couldn’t be heard.  As President, he issued written State of the Union messages rather than giving a speech.
• Jefferson’s tombstone makes no mention of his serving as President of the United States.  His epitaph reads: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”
• As a diplomat, Tom’s ability to speak in 6 languages was certainly a plus!  He spoke English, French, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish.
• Jefferson’s first election as President in 1800 was a tie with Aaron Burr.  It took 36 ballots in the House of Representatives (with deciding support from rival Alexander Hamilton) to name Jefferson President.  His second election versus Charles Pinckney in 1804 was an overwhelming victory with an electoral vote of 162 to 14.
• Tom’s wife Martha died 10 years before he became President so his daughters or James Madison’s wife Dolly served as hostesses during his administration.

Want to know more about Thomas Jefferson?  Check out these sources:

• Wikipedia – Thomas Jefferson
• Monticello.org
• Biography.com – Thomas Jefferson
• Amazon – Thomas Jefferson Page

Famous quote from Thomas Jefferson?  Who can pick just one from this guy?  How about a list of them?

More Founding Fathers anyone?  The first person to sign the Declaration of Independence was John Hancock.  Or at least as president of the Second Continental Congress, it is presumed that he signed first.  And any way you look at it, his huge and very stylish signature on the document has made his name synonymous with signing your name in this country.

Fun facts about Mr. Hancock:

• Had a casual acquaintance with John and Samuel Adams from their early years growing up in Braintree, Massachusetts.
• John was a very bright young man – and graduated from Harvard at the ripe old age of 17!
• After his step-father passed away and left John his shipping business, Hancock was one of the wealthiest people in the colonies.  Despite the wealth that should have made him a Royalist sympathizer, he became a leader in the Sons of Liberty in Boston.
• Hancock (and John Adams) were in Boston on the fateful night of Paul Revere’s midnight ride.  Revere warned Hancock that the British wanted to capture him in time for Hancock and Adams to escape to Philadelphia.
• Although there are those who say that Hancock was upset that Washington was named commander of the Revolutionary Army rather than him, there is no evidence of it.  And in fact, he named his son John George Washington Hancock.
• After the Revolution, he was beloved as the Governor of Massachusetts for 2 terms as well as a potential candidate for the Presidency.

Want to know more about John Hancock?  Try these links:

• Wikipedia – John Hancock
• History.com – John Hancock
• Amazon – Books about John Hancock

Famous quote from John Hancock:

Hancock’s most famous quote is a misattribution – there are no accounts of any speeches at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  So the quote regarding Hancock signing so large that “King George could read it without his spectacles” is undoubtably false.

For Throwback Thursday, I’m throwing back to John Adams.  Why?  Last year, I binge watched the entire HBO Series “John Adams” on the 4th of July.  If you haven’t had the chance to see that series, I can’t recommend it highly enough – you can stream free with Amazon Prime.

Fun facts about John:

• None of John’s family members went to his Presidential inauguration.  How sad is that?
• John and Thomas Jefferson were famously rivals in politics – but died on the same day (July 4, 1826) exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence.  Adams last words?  “Thomas Jefferson survives” – but he didn’t.
• His son John Quincy Adams became the 6th President.  John’s birthplace of Braintree, Massachusetts was renamed Quincy in his honor.
• John was the first President to live in the White House – although it wasn’t quite finished when he and Abigail moved in four months before his term ended.
• John was a devoted husband, writing more than 1,100 letters to Abigail – most of which have survived to this day.  In contrast, historians only know of 3 letters that George Washington wrote to his wife Martha.
• The Constitution of the State of Massachusetts was written mostly by John Adams – and served as the model for the U.S Constitution.

David McCullough wrote an excellent biography of John Adams but if you’d like other suggestions try this link to more great books about John.

Famous quote by John Adams – “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

Often referred to as Dr. Franklin, he was not actually a medical doctor.  He was however, a renowned scientist, inventor, author and diplomat.  He was a REALLY interesting guy but since our theme today is generally health, let’s stick to that topic for Ben.

Fun facts about Ben:

• Tired of switching between two pairs of glasses, Franklin famously cut the lenses of both pairs in half and reassembled a single pair – creating the first bifocal glasses.
• After noticing he felt cooler when wearing wet clothing on a hot sunny day, he proposed the principle of Cooling by Evaporation – the basis for refrigeration and air conditioning.
• Ben didn’t patent his inventions – even the Franklin stove that produced more home heat with less waste – because he just wanted people to use them and make their lives better.
• Ben is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.  One of his first inventions was a pair of wooden paddles he used to help propel himself while swimming!  He was a proponent of the benefits of swimming his whole life and once wrote “every parent would be glad to have their children skilled in swimming.”
• And last but certainly not least – Ben founded the first public hospital what would become the United States.  In 1751, he and Dr. Thomas Bond founded the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia which is still in operation today.  The main building dates to 1756 and is registered as a National Historic Landmark.

These are just a few of the many amazing facts about Ben – you can learn more about him by reading his autobiography or check out one of these biographies by various authors.

Famous quote from Ben Franklin – “Well done is better than well said.”

I fell in love with Alexander Hamilton the first time I played the soundtrack for the Broadway musical Hamilton.  And if any of our Founding Fathers had a to-do list, I’m betting it was Alex.  After all, one of the songs in the musical refers to him and his writing as Non-stop!

Fun facts about Alexander Hamilton:

• We really don’t know when he was born.  The records on his home island of Nevis report his birth in 1755, but Alexander always claimed he was born in 1757.   His claim may have worked to help him land an apprenticeship position after the death of his mother left him an orphan.  And it certainly didn’t hurt his reputation of being precocious to shave a couple years off his age!
• Alexander’s views on a strong central national government inspired the beginning of the Federalist Party.  Thomas Jefferson and James Madison opposed many of Hamilton’s ideas about centralized governance and formed the Republican Party in response.
• Regardless of how it is presented in the musical, Hamilton didn’t actually pass the bar to become a lawyer until 1782 when the Revolution was over.  He began studying law while still on Nevis, attended some classes at King’s College and also studied with John Jay and William Paterson (two future Supreme Court justices) on his mostly self-taught way to becoming a lawyer.
• The last letter George Washington wrote before his death was to Alexander.
• Alex may have been this nation’s first media mogul.  In 1801, he talked several investors into giving him $10,000 to found the New York Evening Post.  Today, it is known as the New York Post and is the nation’s oldest continuously published newspaper.

If you haven’t read “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow that was the inspiration for the Broadway musical, do yourself a favor and look it up at your library or favorite bookseller.

Famous quote from Alexander -“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”

The 4th of July is sneaking right up on us so I thought maybe we should get ready by taking a look at our Founding Fathers.  That doesn’t mean I’m leaving my regular editorial schedule – just making it all about the Founding Fathers this week!

So the first among our Founding Fathers seems obvious – George Washington.  Here are some fun facts you may not have known about George:

• George didn’t belong to a political party.  In fact, he disliked the idea of political parties.  He believed parties would lead to conflict and hinder the country’s growth.
• George is the only one of our President’s to have been elected unanimously.
• While we know him for his glorious head of white hair, when George was young, his hair was red.
• George did not attend college.  Like many young men of the time, he was home schooled by his father and older half-brother.  He applied himself well to his educational pursuits and became an expert surveyor and map maker.
• While many wanted to to refer to George as “Your Excellency” or “Your Highness,” he set president that lives through to today by asking to be referred to as Mr. President.

Want to learn more about George?  Here’s a list of some great biographies.

Famous words from George’s eulogy –