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This
dramatic painting is based on a true story, the rescue of fourteen year old
Brook Watson from the jaws of a hungry shark in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, in
1749.
Watson
survived. Years later, after he became a successful merchant and mayor of
London, he commissioned the American painter John Singleton Copley to portray
the incident.
H His dentures were not wooden. Washington’s famous “wooden teeth” were actually made from gold, ivory, lead, and human and animal teeth, held together with a spring that forced him to clench his jaw. By his inauguration, he had only one original tooth. He lost nearly all his teeth by age 57.
2 His real birthday wasn’t February 22. He was born February 11, 1731 under the Julian calendar. The switch to the Gregorian calendar moved his birthday to February 22 and changed his birth year to 1732.
3. The cherry tree story is completely made up. The tale of young George confessing to chopping down a cherry tree was invented by biographer Mason Locke Weems after Washington’s death.
4. He created his own dog breed. Washington selectively bred foxhounds and is considered the father of the American Foxhound, giving his dogs mushy names like Sweet Lips, Tipsy, and Venus.
5. He ran one of America’s
largest whiskey distilleries. By
1799, his Mount Vernon distillery produced nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year, making it the largest in
the nation.
Bat
Masterson stands out as one of the Old West’s most unusual figures—a man who
balanced frontier grit with refined elegance. In Dodge City, he earned his
reputation as a cool‑headed sheriff and gunfighter, facing down outlaws with
steady aim and steady nerves. Yet unlike the dust‑covered men around him,
Masterson favored tailored suits, silk vests, bowler hats, and the polished
cane he carried everywhere. His style became as legendary as his courage.
Later, he traded the chaos of the frontier for New York City, reinventing
himself as a respected sportswriter. Masterson proved that even in the Wild
West, a gentleman could thrive without losing his edge.
Legends of the Superstition Mountains
George Armstrong Custer’s buckskin coat at the Smithsonian
is one of the most evocative artifacts tied to the frontier cavalry legend. The
double‑breasted coat, made of light buckskin and trimmed with fringe, was worn
during his service as lieutenant colonel of the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the
Dakotas. Custer favored frontier dress, believing it suited the rugged
conditions of the West. In 1912, his widow Elizabeth “Libbie” Custer donated
the coat to the Smithsonian, preserving it as a tribute to her husband’s dramatic
life and legacy. Today, it remains a striking reminder of Custer’s persona and
the era he helped define.
Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains
Mysterious Treasure Legends of Arizona
Extensive archaeological work has been done at the Slave Memorial which encompasses and African-American burial ground.
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who first appeared on radio in 1933. His origin story
describes him as the sole survivor of an ambushed Ranger posse, rescued and
aided by his companion Tonto. A posse of six members of the Texas Rangers, led by Captain Dan Reid, pursue a band of outlaws. Tonto discovers one of the rangers, Captain Reid's younger brother John, barely alive, and nurses the man to health.
Though entirely fictional, historians have proposed real-life inspirations. Texas Ranger John R. Hughes is often cited due to his long career and legendary tracking skills. Another proposed inspiration is Bass Reeves, a U.S. Marshal whose exploits closely resemble the Ranger’s, though this connection remains debated.
Legends of the Superstition Mountains
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