Did You know? Archive

​

Without knowing how to read or write in any other language, Sequoyah spent 12 years developing a syllabary of 85 characters representing the exact sounds of the Cherokee language. Within just a few years of its introduction in 1821, the Cherokee Nation achieved a higher literacy rate than their European-American neighbors, leading to the rapid publication of the first Native American newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix.

Recruited by the U.S. Marines, these bilingual Diné soldiers transmitted secret tactical messages over military telephones and radios. Because the Navajo language is incredibly complex and had no alphabet at the time, Japanese cryptographers were never able to decipher the communications, making it the only spoken military code in modern history to remain entirely unbroken.

Stretching from modern-day Colombia down to Chile, this intricate system of paved roads, suspension bridges, and stone stairways was built entirely without iron tools or draft animals. It facilitated the rapid movement of armies, trade goods, and "chasquis" (highly trained relay runners), allowing the central government in Cusco to communicate effectively across incredibly rugged terrain.

Centuries before the concept of zero reached Europe, Maya mathematicians used a shell-shaped glyph to represent zero in their base-20 numbering system. This critical innovation allowed them to calculate vast spans of time, create incredibly accurate solar calendars, and construct massive, precisely aligned stone pyramids without the use of metal tools or the wheel.

Established centuries before European contact, the Great Law of Peace united five (later six) distinct nations under a complex system of representative government. Founding Fathers like Benjamin Franklin closely studied this decentralized system, which featured checks and balances, veto power, and a separation of powers, ultimately adopting many of its core democratic principles when drafting the framework for the United States.

This profound connection to Manoomin (wild rice) is why the Anishinaabe ultimately settled in present-day Minnesota and the surrounding areas. The cultural and survival importance of this staple was so central that during the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters, Ojibwe leaders fought to include a rare provision that permanently retained their right to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice on the ceded lands.

Indigenous tribes in southern Mexico began a selective breeding process to make this grass more edible and the result was corn!