Top Five Useless Pieces of Information on America

Well, not so much Top 5 but an ongoing work – every day I come across “useless” pieces of information, which by themselves give you that “Ahhh ha!” moment, but which also don’t seem to have a place to live within the factual data stream.

Well, not anymore!

This is the first top 5 in what is going to be an ad hoc collection of Top Five Useless Pieces of Information, and feel free to join in with suggestions for inclusion in future lists.

For the first Top Five Useless Pieces of Information list, we’ll take a look at a favorite topic of mine, the United States of America

5. The Statue of Liberty is  Really a Muslim

The Statue of Liberty (Enlightening the World) was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and represents ‘Libertas’, the Roman goddess of freedom. The Statue of Liberty has become the iconic symbol of not only American independence, but freedom everywhere and she was a gift from France to mark 100 years of American Independence.

What is not commonly known is the original design was entitled, ‘Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia.’

The original plan was for her to be situated in Port Said, Egypt to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal. Her designer, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was unable to gather the required support, even though he journeyed to Egypt for the opening of the Suez Canal (itself a French-Egyptian engineering project).

Bartholdi’s eyes then turned west to the United States, encouraged and inspired by Edouard Rene de Laboulaye, a prominent writer, historian, lawyer, academic and lover of the United States. Laboulaye was a typical 19th Century liberal, with high-minded idealism and principles which supported the fundamental notions of freedom, international fraternity and peace.

Bartholdi later denied any such connection, but his models and preparatory work demonstrate an undeniable close similarity.

Laboulaye’s idealism created the concept of Enlightenment, Bartholdi’s creative vision provided the physical form of Liberty, while Eiffel’s engineering genius ensured the leviathan could be built – but there is no getting away from the fact that originally, she was to personify Egyptian enlightenment and not American.

Egypt is a Muslim country, however before the Koran-burning, conspiracy nutballs amongst you reach for the firelighters the actual model for Liberty’s face is believed to be that of Bartholdi’s own mother.

4. American Kids Witness on Average 8,000 Murders Before They Finish Elementary School

A report by the US Senate made a couple of observations that by the time a child completed elementary school, they had witnessed approximately 8,000 murders and 100,000 incidents of violence on television (obviously they aren’t watching the A-Team anymore).

3. The Irony of War – Hitler’s Personal Train Carriage Was Called “Amerika”

Adolf Hitler rail carriage was known as Fuhrersonderzug (Fuhrer’s Special Train) and was extensively used by him to travel not only across Germany but the extended European conquests in the heady early years of World War 2.

In 1940, the train was officially named Fuhrersonderzug Amerika, but had its name changed with the entry of the US into WW2 (to Brandenburg).

At the end of the war, the train is thought to have been broken up, with the German Army destroying Hitler’s personal carriage and the rest of the train being redeployed.

2. Life-Size Barbie and American Perception of Female Perfection

Barbie dolls are universally the little girls’ doll of choice and she is the epitome of American notions of what a young lady should look like, at least as far as consumption by kids is concerned.

America is a land of eating disorders – either too much or too little, rarely just the right amount.

High levels of obesity and anorexia persist -the highest in the world, but we’ll focus on anorexia here and some of the statistics are frightening:
• Anorexia is the 3rd most common serious illness in teenagers, especially girls;
• 95% of those with eating disorders, including anorexia, are between the ages of 12 and 25 years of age;
• 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 years believe themselves to be overweight; and
• 80% of 13 year old children have tried to diet.

[source: South Carolina Department of Mental Health – Eating Disorder Statistics]

Now let’s take a closer look at Barbie

Yale University professor, Dr. Kelly Brownell, extrapolated what Barbie’s measurements would be if she were a life-size person:
• Vital statistics – 38-18-34
• Height – 7 feet and 2 inches

[source: the BBC]

In other words, if Barbie were real she would be an amazingly tiny-waisted Amazon, with big breasts and an ability to wipe the floor with the LA Lakers and Miami Heat single-handed.

No wonder Ken is anatomically androgynous when you take his pants off!

Barbie is an impossible example to be setting for young, impressionable American children, girls and boys.

1. George Washington Was NOT the First President of the United States

George Washington is usually referred to as the first American president, but depending on how you interpret things, he was either the first or the eleventh president of the United States.

Elected to the office in 1789 after the War of Independence was finally won, Washington was the first president to be elected under the US Constitution.

Here’s the legal rub

The US Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, but prior to this date the United States was operating under the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified on March 1, 1781 by the 13 seceding colonies.

This document (the ‘Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union ‘to give it its full name) was the actual founding instrument of the United States.

It was this document which was prepared after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (which sparked the War of Independence) and not the Constitution in operation today.

Under the Articles of Confederation, the following Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled served:
1. Samuel Huntingdon (March 1st, 1781 to July 9th, 1781)
2. Thomas McKean (July 10th to November 4th, 1781)
3. John Hanson (November 5, 1781 to November 3, 1782)
4. Elias Boudinot (November 4, 1782 to November 2nd, 1783)
5. Thomas Mifflin (November 3rd, 1783 to October 31st, 1784)
6. Richard Henry Lee (November 30th, 1784 to November 6th, 1785)
7. John Hancock (November 23rd, 1785 to May 29th, 1786)
8. Nathaniel Gorham (June 6th, 1786 to November 5th, 1786)
9. Arthur St. Clair (February 2nd, 1787 to November 4th, 1787)
10. Cyrus Griffin (January 22nd, 1788 to November 2nd, 1788)

It was not until the Constitution was drafted, to replace the Articles, that the executive office of President was created. The presidents under the Articles of Confederation effectively chaired the Congressional Committee of the States, acting as caretaker when Congress itself was not in session, and did some administration, but they did not really have power (though a lot of influence).

It was not until the Constitution itself that executive powers were vested in the Office of President of the United States of America.

So, it’s really up to how you interpret the two founding documents of the United States which determines whether Huntingdon or Washington was the first President of the United States of America.

Incidentally, when it was mooted that Washington should be made King of the United States after the War of Independence, he is said to have replied, “I didn’t fight George the Third to become George the First.”

How very British of him