Signers of Declaration of Independance Monument

The memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independance in Washington D.C. shows the signatures of these men carved in stone. In the U.S. one of these signatures became synanymous with signing your name.

John Hancok was the first to sign the document, and as per the legend, he signed his name so big so King George III could read it without his spectacles...

Prior to the American Revolution, he was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies that belonged to the British empire. As a merchant, he was an early voice against the untolerable acts of taxation from the British crown.

Some historians argue that he may be responsible for the very first revolutionary act by sending off two British agents who came to inspect his ship without a warrant... A smuggler and a tax evader! Good for him!