Today is Uncle Sam Day

Today we honor the man behind the iconic image and fascinating nickname for the United States government, Uncle Sam Day, who was born on Sept. 13, 1766. The National Day Calendar reports that Sam Wilson, a meat packer from New York, supplied barrels of meat to soldiers during the war of 1812. To identify the meat for shipment, Wilson prominently stamped “U.S.” on the barrels. It wasn’t long before the soldiers dubbed the grub a delivery from Uncle Sam. President George H. W. Bush proclaimed Uncle Sam Day to be Sept. 13, 1989, in honor of the anniversary of the birth of Samuel Wilson. It coincided with the bicentennial celebration of the City of Troy, New York where Wilson lived and worked. The City of Troy requested the designation of the President. On Sept. 7, 1961, through concurrent resolutions, Congress officially named Uncle Sam a permanent symbol of American strength and idealism. The National Day Calendar is the authoritative source for fun, unusual and unique national days.