America's history is a brief yet rich one. Relative to the rest of the world, we are still just a little baby of a country.
We often forget that our founding fathers were humans just like the rest of us — they just happened to have lived a some 300 odd years before we did, and, you know, have written the Declaration of Independence. But these American heroes had their flaws and their secrets, too.
These 10 secrets about the founding fathers are both surprising and eye-opening. There are myths about these men that we've all gone along believing our whole lives without a second thought. But in some cases, we may have been entirely wrong!
Did you know these juicy tidbits before reading this list? I certainly didn't, but it's always so fun to take little surprise glimpses into the past like this.
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Thumbnail sources: Flickr, Wikimedia Commons
1. Thomas Jefferson Was A Terrible Public Speaker
The author of the Declaration of Independence and our third president only ever gave two speeches, one at each of his inaugurations. While he was elegant with words on paper, he didn't like speaking out loud, much less in front of large crowds. The speeches he did give were delivered very quietly, too.
2. John Adams And Jefferson Were Rivals
John Adams and Jefferson were the only two signers of the Declaration to become president, but they also hated each other's guts. However they managed to patch things up by the end of their lives. Adams' famous last words were, "Thomas Jefferson still survives." Little did he know that his former rival had also passed away that same day (July 4, 1826), just hours before.
3. George Washington Didn't Have Wooden Teeth
This is a fun fact that lots of people like to pull out of their back pocket, but it isn't even true. George Washington's teeth were actually made of bone, hippopotamus ivory, human teeth, brass screws, lead, and gold metal wiring. That's quite the mouthful right there.
4. Adams Was "Out Of His Senses"
Well, at least according to Benjamin Franklin. And it seems the feeling was mutual. The two were at the French court of Versailles together as ambassadors when Adams wrote that a statue in the court would make a better ambassador than Franklin. Harsh!
5. Paul Revere Wasn't The Only Midnight Rider
A 16-year-old girl named Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles, twice Revere's distance, when the British took Danbury, CT. She may have even staved off a band of highway robbers on the way. Why her story got lost in the history books is beyond me.
6. Benedict Arnold Had Help With His Famous Betrayal
Arnold's wife, Peggy Shippen, was half his age when they met. She'd previously had a fling with a British spy, John André, and introduced her old lover to her new husband. Together, the three of them plotted to give West Point to the British, which would have squashed America's independence entirely.
7. Rumors Swirled Around Washington's Lack Of Children
Many historians have speculated that perhaps George Washington struggled with infertility, as he had no children of his own. Experts say that tuberculosis often causes this extremely common condition in men.
8. James Madison Used A Secret Code
James Madison was so paranoid that his letters would end up in the wrong hands that he made up an entire secret code to communicate with his fellow founding fathers.
9. Skeletons Were Buried Under Franklin's London Home
No, he didn't murder the people. There was a human anatomy class being run from his basement, which was a very tricky subject at the time. The bones from 15 different bodies were found when, in 1998, work was being done on the historic home.
10. Washington's Salary Was Bonkers
In 1789, George Washington's salary was 2 percent of the entire U.S. budget. His worth has been calculated to be $525 million in today's money. Maybe he should be on the $100 bill instead of the $1!
Did you know any of these secrets about the founding fathers of our country? Did we miss any juicy tidbits? Let us know in the comments, and please SHARE with the history buffs in your family.