Uncles Sam's Birthday Is This Week

In 1989, "Uncle Sam Day" became official. A Congressional joint resolution designated September 13, 1989 as "Uncle Sam Day" (birthday of Samuel Wilson).Today marks the day in 1813 when the United States officially took on its nickname of “Uncle Sam.” The name conjures up images of a man in a top hat pointing his finger at the viewer, but the character was named for a real person — Samuel Wilson. Wilson was a meat packer who sent barrels of beef to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. He stamped his barrels with “U.S.” for United States, but soldiers referred to the meat as “Uncle Sam’s,” and soon the name became synonymous for the federal government. It wasn’t until the 1860s that a political cartoonist drew Uncle Sam with a beard in a patriotic suit, and not until World War I, the character was juxtaposed with the phrase “I Want You for the U.S. Army.”