Weird History: 8

Don’t Flip Your Whig

When the Whig Party nominated Zachary Taylor as their candidate for president, in June of 1848, they sent him a letter telling him of their choice. He sent the letter back unopened. Why do you ask? Back then people who received mail had to pay the postage, not the person sending it. He didn’t know what was in the letter and didn’t care. It wasn’t until late July of that same year when he found out exactly what the letter was about.

Taylor became a hero due to the Mexican-American warm and got mail from many people, he was thought highly of, but he always returned the mail unopened. Taylor went on to become president and was the last Whig elected.

The Ride Of Your Life

Paul Revere and the infamous horse ride to warn settlers the British were coming. An amazing tale of courage handed down through the years.

But Revere only rode 19 miles before he was captured. So why do we remember him and not the real hero who rode 235 miles, Israel Bissell. Wait—Bissell you think? He was 23 and rode four days from Boston to Philadelphia warning settlers that the British were coming, shouting, “To arms, to arms! The war has begun!” Bissell was so underappreciated for his bravery, that in several historical documents he was listed as “Trail”—not Israel Bissell.

On a side note: Until 1900, the state of Rhode island had two capitols, one in Providence, the other in Newport.