The United States of Awesome

Discover amazing true facts about US history—from the fun and ridiculous to the surprising and inspiring—in this treasure trove of American trivia.

The history of the United States can be great, fun, funny, inspiring, horrifying, and completely ridiculous, if not all of these at once. And there is a daunting amount of it. From the Mayflower landing on Plymouth Rock to Apollo 11’ s touchdown on the moon, it’s been quite a ride.

In The United States of Awesome, author Josh Miller attempts to capture the full range of the nation’s awesome history through a dizzying array of fun facts, curious trivia and wacky revelations that are nothing short of awesome.

Here are just a few of the facts you’ll discover:

• In the midst of the Civil War, 10,000 Confederate soldiers had a snowball fight—Tar Heels vs. Georgians.

• Washington’s four dogs were named Drunkard, Taster, Tipler and Tipsy.

• The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted just thirty seconds.

• The incredibly unlucky son of Abe Lincoln witnessed the assassination deaths of three presidents.

• The U.S. refused to pay a $400 littering fine for dropping the space station on Australia.

• Ford pardoned not only Nixon but also Robert E. Lee 105 years after Lee’s death.

• There is no evidence that Betsy Ross designed the American flag.