The Rum Rebellion and 5 Other History Facts
1.
The first president of the United States, George Washington, upon his death bed told
his attendants “I am just going.
Have me decently buried and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three
days after I am dead.
Do you understand?”
He was terrified of accidentally being buried while he was still alive.
Among other famous taphephobics was Frederic Chopin, who upon his death bed said “The
earth is suffocating…
swear to make them cut me open, so that I won’t be buried alive.”
Yet another taphephobe was Hans Christian Anderson who would always lay a card on his
dresser before he went to sleep, even while traveling, that said “I am not really dead.”
He also requested that his arteries be slashed before burial.
If you are a taphephobe, but don’t want to be cremated, simply tell your loved ones
to make sure to have your body embalmed.
If you aren’t dead before the embalming, you will be after.
2.
In 1891, Ellen Martin was the first woman to be able to vote in Lombard, Illinois.
She noticed that the Lombard charter on who could vote didn’t mention gender.
This charter superseded Illinois law and, thus, she was legally allowed to vote.
She and 14 other women voted in the 1891 elections before the charter was promptly amended.
3.
The book “The Woman and the Car, A Chatty Little Handbook for All Women Who Motor or
Who Want to Motor” (presumably extremely chatty, given the title), by Dorothy Levitt
written in 1906, recommended that women carry a hand-mirror while driving as it is convenient
to be able to see behind you during traffic by holding the hand mirror up.
This is the first known mention of rear view mirrors being used in automobiles.
The mounted rear view mirror wasn’t available standard in cars until 8 years later in 1914.
As for the first person to use a mounted rear-view mirror in an automobile, which he installed
himself, this was race car driver Ray Harroun.
On May 30th, 1911 while racing in the Indianapolis 500, Ray was unable to get a mechanic to ride
with him during the race.
This was the custom at the time, as it provided the driver with the ability to know what was
happening behind him and to be made aware of any cars about to overtake him.
Ray ingeniously installed a mirror on his car instead.
Ray didn’t get this idea from the “chatty little handbook”, but stated he thought
of it after remembering seeing a mirror used for this same purpose on a horse-drawn vehicle
in 1904.
4) The Ancient Romans favorite wiping item, including in public restrooms, was a sponge
on a stick that would sit in salt water and be placed back in the salt water when done…
waiting for the next person to use it…
Ancient Greeks were a little more sanitary, using stones and pieces of clay.
5) Rum helped spur the American Revolution as well as the Australian Rum Rebellion.
It is estimated that around 3 gallons of rum were consumed per person per year in the American
colonies shortly before the American Revolution.
Rum production was also colonial New England’s largest industry.
The passing of the Sugar Act in 1764, also known as the American Revenue Act, drastically
disrupted the economy of many of the American colonies, particularly hitting the rum industry
hard.
Among other things, this act resulted in the colonies having to increase the price on their
rum, which allowed the British West Indies to increase their market share of the sale
of rum.
This act, along with the later Stamp Act, enraged some of the colonists and helped establish
the “no taxation without representation” that eventually became a rallying cry for
the revolutionists.
As for the Australian Rum Rebellion, this took place after the governor of New South
Wales, William Bligh, in 1806 decided to outlaw rum as a medium of economic exchange.
This resulted in the New South Wales Corps turning on him and holding him under arrest.
The Corps then ran the island for four years until Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived.
6) Ben Franklin fought hard for the Turkey to become the United States’ official bird,
but he obviously lost out to the supporters of the Bald Eagle.
His case for the Turkey being the national bird on the Great Seal is laid out in the
following letter to his daughter Sarah Bache:
“For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country.
He is a bird of bad moral character.
He does not get his Living honestly.
You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish
for himself, he watches the labor of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length
taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones,
the Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
With all this injustice, he is never in good case but like those among men who live by
sharping & robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy.
Besides he is a rank coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him
boldly and drives him out of the district.
He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America
who have driven all the King birds from our country…
I am on this account not displeased that the figure is not known as an Eagle, but looks
more like a Turkey.
For the truth, the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a
true original native of America…
He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate
to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard
with a red coat on.”