11Idaho
The word “Idaho” is completely meaningless. The lobbyist who suggested the name lied about it being a Shoshone word for “gem of the mountains” and Congress didn’t bother verifying the claim.
12Jeannette Rankin
After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, only one member of Congress out of 470 was against the war. The dissenting vote was given by Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. “As a woman, I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else.” She was mobbed and had to hide in a phone booth until Congressional police came.
13Walter Washington
When Walter Washington, the first mayor of Washington D.C. and first African-American mayor of major US city, sent his proposed budget to Congress, Democratic Representative John L. McMillan sent a truckload of watermelons to his office in response.
14Metric system
In 1927 several million people in the United States sent over 100,000 petitions backed by the Metric Association and The General Federation of Women's Clubs urging Congress to adopt the metric system. The petition was opposed by the manufacturing industry, citing the cost of the conversion.
15George Washington
Due to American Public Law 94-479, by the 94th Congress, George Washington is protected from being outranked by any officer in the past, present, and future. Therefore if there’s a 6-star general, Washington is automatically upgraded to 7.
16Drinking age
The US drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 due to the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). They successfully lobbied Congress to create a law that imposed a federal penalty on any state that did not comply.
17British invasion
When the British invaded Washington in 1814, they held a mock session of Congress. They voted whether or not they should burn the city to the ground. The soldiers unanimously agreed in favor of the motion.
