Alien Tea Shoppe

So, yesterday, America celebrated it's Independence Day.  America has been having 234 years of special 4 July's, but how many American's realize what they are actually celebrating on this day?  Not a whole heck of a lot, if you garner the well wishes on your Facebook page or other internet sites.  Seems like everyone's under the impression that a] this is the day in 1776 that we gained our independence from Britain;  b] that we've been having 4th of July celebrations since 1776 or c] that this is the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. *sigh* On 2 July 1776, the American Colonies finished their declaration of independence; basically, "Hey, England!  We don't want you governing us from afar... we want to be independent and separate."  And they drew up a document [with beautifully, frilly language] to say just that.  THEN, it had to be couriered around to get everyone to sign it.  So, by mid-August of that year, The Declaration wa...

WASHINGTON — For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. On Tuesday, museum curators confirmed it was true. A watchmaker used tiny tools to carefully pry open the antique watch at the National Museum of American History, and a descendant of the engraver read aloud the message from a metal plate underneath the watch face. "Jonathan Dillon April 13 - 1861," part of the inscription reads, "Fort Sumpter (sic) was attacked by the rebels on the above date." Another part reads, "Thank God we have a government." The words were etched in tiny cursive handwriting and filled the the space between tiny screws and gears that jutted through the metal plate. A magnifying glass was required to read them. Jonathan Dillon, then a watchmaker on Pennsylvania Avenue, had Lincoln's watch in his hands when he heard the first shots of the Civil War had been fired in South Carolina. The Iris...