Happy Fourth of July, Birmingham. While you’re watching the fireworks tonight, here are a few things worth knowing about the country that invented the weekend, saved French wine, and somehow still surprises us.
We Bought Alaska for 2 Cents an Acre
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million — roughly 2 cents per acre. At the time, critics called it “Seward’s Folly,” after Secretary of State William Seward who negotiated the deal. Alaska now has an annual GDP of roughly $75 billion and sits on some of the largest oil and natural gas reserves on the planet. Best real estate deal in history? It’s not a close contest.
Japan’s Constitution Was Written by an American General
After World War II, General Douglas MacArthur oversaw the drafting of Japan’s current constitution. Today Japan is one of the most free, most prosperous, and most stable nations on earth. Whatever you think about the circumstances, the results speak for themselves.
No Country Has More Rags-to-Riches Stories
Since its inception, America’s free market system has produced more stories of upward mobility than any other nation in history. The opportunity to start with nothing and build something — a business, a career, a legacy — has defined the American experience in a way that genuinely has no parallel. And it’s not even close.
A Sitting President from the 1840s Still Has a Living Grandson
John Tyler, America’s 10th President, was born in 1790 and elected in 1840. He still has a living grandson — Harrison Tyler, who is 94 years old. How? Tyler had a son late in life, who had a son late in life. The math works out to one of the most remarkable generational stretches in American history.
Henry Ford Invented the Weekend
Before Henry Ford came along, a standard American work week was six days and 48 hours. Ford gave his workers a five-day, 40-hour work week — not out of pure altruism, but because he understood that workers with leisure time would buy cars. Either way, every Saturday morning you’ve ever enjoyed is thanks to the man who built the Model T.
The Poorest Parts of America Gave the World Its Music
The Mississippi Delta and Southern Appalachia — two of the most economically disadvantaged regions in the country — gave the entire world the foundation of modern music. Rock and roll, jazz, country, gospel, and the blues all trace their roots back to these communities. Almost everything we listen to today flows from that. It is one of the most extraordinary cultural gifts in human history.
America Is the Only Country With All Five Climate Zones
Tropical, dry, temperate, continental, and polar — the United States is the only country on earth that naturally contains all five major climate zones. From the beaches of Hawaii to the tundra of Alaska, the deserts of the Southwest to the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the sheer geographic diversity of this country is genuinely unmatched.
America Saved French Wine
In the 19th century, a devastating aphid called phylloxera swept through France and wiped out its vineyards. The solution came from America: disease-resistant American vine rootstocks were grafted onto French plants, saving the entire French wine industry. The next time someone hands you a glass of Bordeaux, you have American soil to thank.
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There’s a lot more where that came from. Read the full article — and plenty more like it — in the upcoming issue of About Town. Not getting the magazine yet? Fix that: subscribe to receive future copies, or sign up for our email and stay connected to the best of Birmingham.
