Learn Something New

I'm enjoying a new book called The Greatest Stories Never Told...and I've found out a lot of things.

• Who the story of Dracula is based on- Count Vlad
• How Procter & Gamble started out- Since they married two sisters, Procter &Gamble's father-in-law didn't want them to compete with eachother in business and recommended they go into business together.
• That in Turkey women could divorce their husband if he didn't provide enough coffee.
• Uncle Sam has the same initials as United States (seriously never realized that before)
• That the patron saint of Ireland-St Patrick-was in fact an Englishman named Patricius by birth who was kidnapped by Celtic tribesmen
• That the original band of "Thugs" was the actual name of a group who belonged to a Hindu sect that worshipped Kali-the goddess of destruction- in the 1800's strangling wealthy people in the merry months of autumn (sounds a little like Halloween huh?)

And finally something that has tainted my whole belief system from Kindergarten up....

George Washington was not the first president of the United States of America!!!!! He was simply the first president elected under the Consitution in 1789. In 1781 the US became a nation with the Article of Confederation. Shortly thereafter congress unanimously elected John Hanson adn the first president of the United States. IN FACT, shockingly, Hanson received a letter from a colleague stating "I congratulate your Excellency on your appointment to fill the most important seat in the United States"....signed by none other than George Washington.

By the way is Kindergarten a German word?