Fascinating Facts About America You Didn’t Know

#1 Benjamin Franklin Invented Swimming Fins

Benjamin Franklin invented so many things we take for granted today, like libraries, Benjamin stoves, the lightning rod, and much more. Still we do not often hear about one of his coolest inventions.. swimming fins! A young Ben liked to swim, and what better way to have fun like the fish in the water than with some flippers on your feet? Now whenever you go scuba diving or snorkeling, just remember that you can thank Benjamin Franklin for those aquatic accessories.

#2 People Actually Live At The Bottom Of The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the most incredible wonders of the modern world, yet not many people know that this colossal natural wonder still has Native American tribes that live at the very bottom of the canyon. The Grand Canyon's southern rim is home to a Native American Indian reservation, where the Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, and Hopi call home. These are some of the oldest surviving tribes in the country, and they hold annual festivals and events throughout the year at the very bottom of the park, where you have to arrive by mule.

#3 The U.S. Air Force Is The Largest In The World

The US Air Force is the largest military group in the entire world, with a total aircraft count of 3,400. The second largest air force in the world belongs to Russia, and they now only have about 1,900 pieces of aircraft. The US Air Force employees over 75,000 military and nonmilitary personnel.

#4 No Other Party Allowed

No American President has identified as anything other than Republican or Democrat since 1853, when Millard Fillmore was elected. Before that, there were various parties and several elected Heads who were not in any party at all. Today, it 's hard for any affiliation other than Republican or Democrat to even get on the ballots.

#5 George Washington Loved Drinking Alcohol

We all know that George 'couldn't tell a lie,' but did you know that the United States' first President loved getting drunk, and he spent a ton of money on purchasing alcohol on a regular basis. According to historians, Washington would shell out about 7% to 8% of his meager income on booze for himself, leaving Martha to make do with what was left over. Cheers, George!

#6 Abe Lincoln Was A World Class Wrestler

It turns out that 'Honest' Abe was not just sincere, but he was also an energetic and fierce competitor. The 14th President of the United States loved to wrestle. Abe is even in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. He participated in some 300 matches before he started studying and put all of his energy into readin', ritin' and rythmatic. Also, He was the first president ever to own a US patent, and that was for a device that was used to lift boats over sandbars. Unlike Lincoln, it never caught on.

#7 The Bald Eagle Screech Is A Lie

The patriotic "bald eagle screech" is actually a falsehood. In reality, bald eagles have a much less intense screech and that "piercing, loud cry" is actually the cry of the red-tailed hawk. Bird experts say the bald eagle has like a little cackling type of a squawk that's not really very impressive for a bird of his stature. When the eagle lets out a cry, the nearby red-tailed hawk will also screech as they stay close to one another in the wild. While certainly majestic, the bald eagle's prowess has also been questioned throughout history, with many arguing that its status as a scavenger make it a poor choice for the national bird, which may be why our first national bird was the wild turkey!

#8 The Mall of America Is Not Even American

The Mall of America is not even American owned. That's right, the Edmonton-based Triple Five Group owns the Mall of America, which is located in Minnesota on the border between the United States and Canada. The Mall of America is the largest mall in the country and it is like entering another universe. It has multiple levels, an amusement park, hotel resort, and much more. People from all over the country (and even the world) yearn to travel to Minnesota and explore the Mall of America. It has become a tourist destination since it was built, and you can literally spend a week inside and not see everything. But it's sad that even the mall isn't "Made In America!"

#9 Uncle Sam Was Actually A Real Man

Uncle Sam wants YOU! He is now the symbol of America but did you know he is a real person? He is named after meat packer Samuel Wilson, an elderly worker in a plant in New York. How American is that? During the War of 1812, Wilson served as the northern army's meat inspector and was nicknamed Uncle Sam. The name evidently stuck with Samuel, and then the moniker 'Uncle Sam' was attached to a cartoon illustration of an old guy with a top hat and a beard to be used in help to get young men to volunteer for the military. You can find Uncle Sam in ad campaigns in the United States even today. Little did we know that the guy was based off of a real dude!

#10 Independence Day Should Be July 2nd OR In August

The Declaration of Independence was actually approved on July 2nd, not the 4th. In fact, it didn't even get all of its signatures until a full month later in August. So why do Americans celebrate their Independence Day on July 4th? The reality is that Americans could celebrate true independence on July 2nd, or 4th, or even in the day dogs of August. All of those days would be as good as any. However, there is no going back now as the United States has been celebrating on July 4th since 1776!

#11 The Statue of Liberty Is Full Of Foreign Influence

A gift from France to the United States in 1886, the Statue Of Liberty was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The design of the Statue of Liberty is modeled after Greek idealism, with bodily proportions and features resemble Grecian sculptures. That means that the Statue was built with a Morton's Toe (a second toe that is longer than the big toe.) It is basically a 151-foot statue of a woman holding a book and a torch. But with all of it's foreign influences, the Statue of Liberty is the most American symbol in the history of the United States as it stands in New York Harbor.

#12 It’s Literally Just Harry 'S' Truman

Poor old Harry didn't even have a middle name! Sure, the "S" makes Truman's name sound so much more official and important, but he actually was never given a middle name. His parents seriously could not think of a decent middle name for their child and just left it as 'S'. Historians wonder why Harry Truman kept the "S" and did not decide to create his own middle name once he got older. Nobody will ever know the true answer, but there are all sorts of words that begin with 'S' we could choose to use.

#13 American Football Is As Boring As You Thought

Sorry football fans, but the average NFL game only has about 10 minutes of actual televised football playing. The rest is full of ref calls, instant replays, and commercials. You probably already know, if you follow the game, that it's basically just guys running 2 feet, stopping, walking back, someone blows a whistle, they kick the ball, run a few more feet, someone falls down and the rest pile on top of him, then they keep doing this for about 4 hours or more.

Go Patriots!

#14 Captain America Isn’t American Either

His name is 'Captain America" so why isn't he American? He may be super popular in the United States, and he is even part of the famous Avengers superhero crew, but he is actually a first-generation immigrant from Ireland. Seriously! He first appeared in comic books in the United States in 1941 and was often depicted as a tough competitor who battled against the Axis Powers in World War II. Before that, he was used in Irish comics that rallied for the USA. Maybe he's Irish American? After all, we're all immigrants anyway.

#15 The Flag Was Originally Graded Wih A 'B-'

The United States' current 50-star flag was designed as a school project by 17-year-old Robert G. Heft of Virginia. Heft received a B- for his creative efforts, but his teacher said he would reconsider the grade if Congress accepted Heft's mediocre design as the US Flag. In 1959, to that teachers disbelief, that's precisely what happened, and Heft's design was selected to be the latest iteration of the American flag. His teacher did as he promised and changed the grade from a b minus to an A.

#16 Lyndon B. Johnson Was A Cheater

Lyndon B. Johnson was said to have several mistresses on the side and a nasty habit of exposing himself to female staff while on the job. One of LBJ's most famous mistresses was a Miss Madeleine Duncan Brown, who was seen secretly cheating with Johnson for 3 years. Despite his philandering tendencies with other women, Lyndon B. Johnson was a huge proponent for social justice and reform in society. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, revamped The Great Society, and pushed for the Voting Rights Act. Plenty of Americans would probably be just fine with having someone like LBJ back in office, or didn't we already do that with Bill Clinton?

#17 The US Senate Has A Sweet Tooth

There is a little desk with a drawer full of candy in the house of the US Senate. The candy desk is an ongoing tradition that was started in 1968 by California Sen. George Murphy, who would keep his desk full of candy to snack on despite a no eating rule on the floor. Since then, those elected have kept the tradition alive. It's said the drawer is filled weekly with treats like Mars bars, Jelly Belly, Sweet Tarts and Wrigley's gum. Even though there is a 'no food or drink' rule in the Senate, someone keeps filling the drawer as it disappears!