"When in the course of human events...we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Eventually 56 delegates, including two future Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, would sign our Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, the most recognizable and flamboyant signature, was reported to have defiantly said, "The British ministry can read that name without spectacles, so let them double their reward!" The truth is much less dramatic. He was simply the first person to sign and there was plenty of room. The youngest signer, South Carolinian Edward Rutledge was only 27; the oldest, Benjamin Franklin, 70.

There were other, lesser-known but equally dauntless men who risked their fortunes and lives that day when they picked up the quill. Born in Northern Ireland, George Taylor emigrated to Pennsylvania in his early twenties. A working man, George had little interest in pursuing a political career after signing the Declaration, preferring his work as Ironmaster at a local furnace. Button Gwinnett was unsuccessful at both farming and business, yet this British transplant eagerly fought for American independence from his own homeland.

With the stroke of a commonplace quill pen, history was forever changed that steamy July day in Philadelphia.

For nearly a thousand years, the feather pen had been used to record everything from routine daily records and correspondence to truly remarkable documents such as Shakespeare's plays, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

While expensive quill pens were made from swan feathers, the goose feather pen was more common and likely the type used by our Founding Fathers. Interestingly, the feather from the left wing was preferred because it curved outward, away from a right-handed writer. Because of their delicate nature, the pens lasted only about a week. To sharpen it, the writer used a special knife - the pen knife.
 

Next time you pick up an ordinary pen to sign your John Hancock, think about the extraordinary power it can wield.