…it is Independence Day, which celebrates the day on which the Declaration of Independence was published. It was actually signed on the Second of July, but not gotten to the publishers until the 4th, hence, the confusion.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/cg-CMN_-RwM[/youtube]
So they signed it on John Allen’s birthday, then… We had a great railroad and nostalgia-filled day here, by the way!
But that’s hardly the point. Have a fine holiday tomorrow, US invaders and pals… I’m with you in spirit. 
Yeah, they signed early, so they could get to breakfast, and then go run trains…
No…its West Virginia and KEntucky RR Day!
They signed it two days early so they could take a long weekend vacation and enjoy the fireworks!
Speaking of breakfast, you can take the 500 word signature off your posts John, the breakfast is over. I hope it was a success.
Thanks.
Greg
“This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to Henry Lee, 1825
One of the strange coincidences of history is that Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee, a cavalry officer and a hero of the Revolution and the recipient of Thomas Jefferson’s epistle in Ken’s post above, was also the father of Robert E. Lee, a hero of Virginia, a few years later.
For those that haven’t taken the 9 minutes to watch the video that Steve posted… DO IT, it is well worth the time and will give you a whole new perspective on our nations birth.
Thanks Steve for posting, I will be showing it to my employees.
Greg Elmassian said:
Speaking of breakfast, you can take the 500 word signature off your posts John, the breakfast is over. I hope it was a success.
Thanks.
Greg
I have and it was, Greg. I hope my sig didn’t piss you off too much! The 24 hour JAM Day cycle started at 7 the previous night when we got a photo from the Phillipines of the world’s first officially recorded JAM Breakfast, (Jeff Clark and Family) and went right through July 2nd to California and British Columbia. No known returns yet from Hawaii… maybe next year.
Here in Toronto we had a great day of pancakes and jam and visits and friendship and model railroading and John Allen nostalgia, and we got to introduce some youngsters to that still eye-popper of a G&D Railroad.
I’d post a picture here but since the site upgrade I can’t seem to get the hang of how to do it anymore, which is kinda’ getting to me, as I’ve tried over and over again…
Cheers!
You can ignore the new sig.
Touching. We owe so much to men we know so little about.
Oh, yes. While we have no proof of the cherry tree story, there wasn’t a video sent to AFV, the historical evidence for it is actually pretty strong.
While we don’t have any record that Betsy Ross made the first flag, she WAS a well-known seamstress in the right place at the right time and is known to have made flags. I’ve never figured out the “one snip of the scissors” trick.