Sherry Lisenbee, age 8, of Perry, Iowa, for her question:

Who invented Uncle Sam?

Naturally we know that U.S. stands for the United States. But notice that the same two letters also stand for Uncle Sam. This is how the nickname Uncle Sam came to be invented. About 160 years ago our country was at war. Crates of food and other stuff were sent to the soldiers. A meat packer named Samuel Wilson stamped his crates with U.S. The letters meant that the goods were for the United States Army. But in Troy, New York, a newspaper used the same letters to create the nickname Uncle Sam. The idea soon became fashionable.

Three years later someone wrote a book called “The Adventures of Uncle Sam.” Many people tried to picture what he should look like and the first drawings showed a young man with dark hair. Later, cartoonists dressed him in stars and stripes, and 100 years ago he had his beard, his grey hair and his tall, top hat. A famous clown named Dan Rice wore an Uncle Sam costume. Through the years, many people helped to complete the picture. Then in 1961, the Congress adopted Uncle Sam as a national symbol of the United States