Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony Stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni Did you ever wonder what that second line means? To be “macaroni” was to be sophisticated, upper class, and worldly. In “Yankee Doodle,” the British were mocking what they perceived as the Americans’ lack of class. The first verse is satirical because a doodle—a simpleton—thinks that he can be macaroni, i.e., fashionable, simply by sticking a feather in his cap. This nonsense song was originally sung by the British military to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial “Yankees” during the French and Indian War. It was written at Fort Crailo around 1755…

People love to share clever quotes by public or historical figures on social media, and while the sentiment may be nice, 9 times out of 10, I’m unable to confirm that the person in question ever actually said that. Sometimes they did say it, but often, it’s taken out of context. I’ve been seeing this Grant meme going around lately, and it’s an example of a quote that may be taken out of context. Yes, he said it, but…. The quote was lifted from a speech Grant gave at the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Army of the Tennessee in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 29, 1875. Before this speech,…