By 
The United States of America has plenty of factoids for people to share and discuss, but as any resident of the country can tell you, a lot of them we’ve heard before. You need to dig a bit deeper if you want to find the real juicy stuff, and fortunately for you, we’ve found a few gems.
So, whether you’re looking for ammunition for your next trivia night or simply want to know why America is like this, here are some wonderfully niche facts worth knowing. Since you can expect follow-up questions when you bring these up, remember to research them beyond the little details we provide.
Unsplash
The Smithsonian Was Founded By A Man Who Never Visited America
British scientist James Smithson left his fortune to the United States to establish what became the Smithsonian Institution, despite never having set foot in America. His bequest eventually created America’s famous museum and research complex.
Wikimedia Commons
America Once Claimed Islands For Bird Poop
The 1856 Guano Islands Act allowed Americans to claim otherwise unoccupied islands containing valuable seabird guano. The droppings were prized as fertilizer, making bird poop important enough to inspire one of America’s earliest overseas territorial claims.
Wikipedia
Lincoln Carried A Secret Message In His Watch
A watchmaker repairing Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch secretly engraved a message mentioning the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Lincoln never knew about it; the inscription remained hidden behind the watch’s dial until museum researchers examined it in 2009.
Unsplash
The Star-Spangled Banner Had A Smaller Sibling
Mary Pickersgill was commissioned to make two flags for Fort McHenry in 1813: the enormous garrison flag that became famous and a smaller storm flag. The storm flag’s current whereabouts remain unknown, making it an American historical mystery.
Unsplash
America Once Printed A Thirty-Dollar Bill
The Continental Congress issued a $30 denomination during the Revolutionary War, alongside denominations that included thirds, sixths, and other unusual amounts. What looks bizarre today actually reflected the complicated monetary system Americans used at the time.
Wikimedia Commons
A Washington Monument Was Mostly Built In One Day
In 1827, residents of Boonsboro, Maryland, constructed most of a stone monument honoring George Washington in a single day. They returned later that year to finish it, creating America’s first completed Washington monument.
Unsplash
A Dust Storm Reached The Atlantic
One enormous Dust Bowl storm in May 1934 traveled roughly 2,000 miles from the Great Plains to the East Coast. Dust reportedly obscured landmarks including the Statue of Liberty and covered Washington, D.C., in prairie soil.
Wikimedia Commons
Davy Crockett Was Born In A State That Disappeared
Davy Crockett was born in 1786 in what was then associated with the self-declared State of Franklin, a short-lived breakaway territory in the region of modern Tennessee. Franklin ultimately failed and returned to North Carolina’s control.
Wikimedia Commons
America’s First Embassy Was Someone’s House
John Adams established the first U.S. embassy in 1782 while serving as envoy to the Netherlands. Rather than occupying a purpose-built diplomatic compound, the future president initially operated from his own house in The Hague.
Wikimedia Commons
Politicians Once Sold Soap Babies
The 1896 presidential campaign produced more than 2,000 varieties of political merchandise, including infant-shaped soap promoting William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. The bizarre products apparently disappeared after voters thought the soaps resembled babies in coffins.
Wikimedia Commons
America’s First Copyrighted Map Had A Strange Backstory
Abel Buell’s 1784 map was the first map of the United States drawn and printed by an American and submitted for copyright. Buell had previously been convicted of counterfeiting, losing part of an ear and receiving a forehead brand.
Unsplash
A Violin Helped Invent Musical Telegraphy
In 1875, inventor Elisha Gray patented an experimental telegraph capable of transmitting musical tones. One of his devices used a violin as a resonator, turning an ordinary musical instrument into an unexpected component of early telecommunications technology.
Wikimedia Commons
The Civil War Used Balloons For Intelligence
Union forces experimented with balloons during the Civil War to observe Confederate positions from above. The National Archives identifies this early aerial intelligence work alongside codebreaking and other surprisingly modern techniques used during America’s bloodiest conflict.
Wikimedia Commons
The Civil War Nearly Had Two Thirteenth Amendments
The National Archives notes that the Civil War era produced two different proposals carrying the designation “Thirteenth Amendment.” The amendment Americans know today abolished slavery, but an earlier proposed amendment concerned an entirely different constitutional issue.
Wikimedia Commons
Americans Celebrated Cinco de Mayo During The Civil War
Cinco de Mayo celebrations began gaining traction among Mexican Americans in California during the Civil War era. The 1862 Mexican victory over France became a symbol of resistance against forces many feared might strengthen the Confederacy.
The post 15 ‘American’ Facts You Haven’t Heard Before appeared first on Den of Geek.
