Did you know that Uncle Sam was a real person? I didn't. The iconic figure with the striped top hat and the white whiskers was Samuel Wilson. Wilson lived in Troy, New York and was a well-to-do meat packer. When the War of 1812 began, Sam supplied meat to all the United States troops stationed in the area.
The meat was stamped "U.S." to signify that it had been certified by a US Government meat inspector. The soldiers believed, however, that the "U.S." stood for Uncle Sam Wilson. Within a short while, everything with the U.S. stamp became known as the property of "Uncle Sam's'."
Sam Wilson was both pleased and honored with the idea and enjoyed being called "Uncle Sam."
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