The 100,000,000 acres of land purchased from France, known as the Louisiana purchase, was acquired by the United States for an average of four cents an acre. France offered England the opportunity to purchase the land first, but England declined.

During the American Revolution, more locals fought for the British than the Continental Army.

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. That's about two cents an acre.

Before World War I began, the United States Air Force consisted of only 15 men.

George Custer was the youngest American to ever achieve the rank of General in the United States Army. He was only 23 at the time of his promotion.

Prior to the start of the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln summoned Robert E. Lee to the White House and offered him command of the Union Army. Despite the fact that Lee preferred the union to stay intact, he declined the invitation and later became the commanding officer of all Confederate forces.

The Marine Corps was originally a branch of the British Army stationed in the American colonies. After the revolution, the Marine Corps was incorporated into the United States military.

On the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, as written by Thomas Jefferson, there was a clause abolishing slavery. Later because of pressure from his constituents, Thomas Jefferson deleted that clause.

The Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4. It was actually signed on July 8, in Philadelphia. Also, all the delegates did not sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Thomas McKean of Delaware, did not sign it until 1777. Because it was a controversial document that the British were not particularly fond of, The Declaration of Independence was moved from place to place, sequestered in 10 different cities in five different states. Since 1952, the Declaration of Independence has been kept in the national archives in Washington DC.

The famous Battle of Bunker Hill was not actually fought at Bunker Hill. The battle took place at Breed's Hill in Charlestown Massachusetts, where the Americans lost the battle because they ran out of gunpowder and had to retreat.

The first Purple Heart was first called the Badge of Military Merit. It was created by George Washington to acknowledge those who exhibited extraordinary valor. The first Badge of Military Merit was awarded to Elijah Churchill, for valor during the attack on Fort St. Charles, during the American Revolution.

On January 31, 1945, Edward Donald Slovik, a private in the U.S. Army was the first person executed for desertion since the Civil War. Slovik took cover under enemy fire and was subsequently separated from his unit. When he was finally reunited with his company commander, he was quoted as saying, "I am too scared to serve in a rifle company."