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Uncle Sam Day 2022 (US): Date, History and Fun Facts

Uncle Sam is an iconic symbol. You would recognize it anywhere. This is a good day to study how icons (or logos) become synonymous with a brand.

Uncle Sam Day 2022 is a national holiday celebrated on September 13th in the United States. The day commemorates the man behind the iconic image which is synonymous with the United States government.

What is Uncle Sam Day?

President George HW Bush declared September 13 as Uncle Sam Day in 1989. This was in honor of Samuel Wilson’s birth anniversary. The day also coincided with the bicentennial celebration of the City of Troy, New York where Wilson lived and worked.

Sam Wilson, a meat packer from New York, supplied barrels of meat to soldiers during the war of 1812. Wilson would stamp “U.S.” on the barrels to identify the meat for shipment. It wasn’t long before the soldiers associated the stamp of the US with Sam Wilson himself and cheerfully started addressing him as Uncle Sam. This nickname soon became popular.

How to Celebrate Uncle Sam Day

Enjoy some fun activities that go along with Uncle Sam Day, like these:

Doodle Some Uncle Sam Drawings

Those who are a bit artistic can enjoy the day by creating their own modern versions of Uncle Sam. The original Uncle Sam was the idea if a creative cartoonist, so get inspired and create one of your own. Grab a pencil and a drawing pad and come up with some patriotic sketches of Uncle Sam!

Uncle Sam is an iconic symbol. You would recognize it anywhere. This is a good day to study how icons (or logos) become synonymous with a brand.

Fun Facts About Uncle Sam

One fun way to celebrate this Uncle Sam Day would be to learn a little bit more about this iconic bit of American history. Then, share the fun bits of trivia with friends or coworkers:

Though Uncle Sam is an American character, it was British cartoonists from Punch magazine that were the first to develop him as a tall, thin figure with a white beard and white hair.
Uncle Sam appeared on a great deal of posters during World War I to recruit volunteers for the United States Army.
Rosie the Riveter is a female cartoon character loosely based on Uncle Sam. She came out in the 1940s during WWII to encourage women to work for war efforts.