Facts!
- Ben Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence. 70 years old when he did it.
- Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. 26. He’s the guy from South Carolina who sings about molasses in 1776.
- Some guy named Thomas Lynch Jr. was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. Also 26, also from South Carolina. He only joined the congress because his dad was in the congress and his dad was dying, so when Jr. showed up to take care of him and the congress needed a replacement from South Carolina, Jr. got the nod. Jr. died in 1779 or 1780 when his ship went down at sea. Died at 30.
- There’s a big list on Wikipedia of “people who disappeared mysteriously at sea.” Starts with Eudoxus of Cyzicus 2,200 years ago.
- Eudoxus of Cyzicus didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, but he was a big Greek explorer who was sent to India by Ptolemy VIII after Ptolemy VIII’s men found a shipwrecked sailor from India in the Red Sea and the shipwrecked guy said he’d take them to India, which is presented historically as a helpful offer to be a guide but sounds a lot more like someone asking for a ride home. This ended up leading Greece to set up direct trade with India without having to go through middlemen in Arabia. Big deal! Eudoxus later tried to circumnavigate Africa a couple times after he found a wrecked ship somewhere in East Africa that he thought was from Spain, but he disappeared while trying. That’s why he leads off the nautical disappearance list.
- Ptolemy VIII also didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, but he was an older member of Cleopatra’s family. This is where I get confused. Ptolemy VIII wasn’t Greek. He was Egyptian. But he was sending Greek explorers to India? I need to figure out what all Alexander the Great did. Thinking he’s the key here.
- Francis Lightfoot Lee’s middle name didn’t come from how fast he was. His dad’s best man’s last name was Lightfoot. No idea whether that guy was fast. Francis Lightfoot Lee did sign the Declaration of Independence. So did 52 other guys we haven’t gotten to here. Maybe next year. Happy Fourth of July, everybody.
