Treaty of Paris semi-quincentennial: 2033
The American Revolution did not truly end until the Treaty of Paris, whose semi-quincentennial will be in 2033, not on July 4.
Snapshot · Empire: World History
374. Ken Burns on the American Revolution and Empire
Explore episode
Jul 4, 2026
Where this was said
Americans and Their Own History: Detached and Unreal
At 5:10 · chapter starts 4:55
Burns wastes no time: Americans are 'woefully ignorant' of their own Revolution, and their relationship to it is, as historian Maya Jasanoff states in the opening of his new film, 'detached and unreal.' [1] — Ken Burns "Americans relate to the Revolution in a way that is 'detached and unreal,' says historian Maya Jasanoff in the opening of Burns's film. Nob…" 03:46 The Washington-crossing-the-Delaware image is his exhibit A — nobody would stand upright in a boat during an ice-clogged snowstorm, yet this theatrical myth defines the national memory of the founding. The Revolution is 'encrusted with the barnacles of sentimentality and nostalgia,' Burns argues, focused on big ideas signed in Philadelphia, while the conflict actually began 15 months earlier in Lexington, Massachusetts, and would not formally end until the Treaty of Paris — whose semi-quincentennial falls in 2033. Jasanoff's second intervention is even more provocative: the United States is born in violence, and any account that skips that does a disservice to the full story.
The Revolution Was Always an Empire
The Continental Congress didn't call itself the Eastern Seaboard Congress by accident. Washington openly used the word 'empire,' warning rivals they were 'drowning our rising empire in blood.' From the very beginning, the Founders knew they wanted everything from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Similar snapshots
CISO role first held by Steve Katz
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Electricity parallel: 6% vs 3x productivity
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Caddyshack: cast did drugs every day on set
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
China was 25% of global output in 1820s
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
444 days hostage crisis
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
508 TOW missiles sent to Iran
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
2,000 missiles in 8 shipments
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Only 3 of 7 hostages released
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
Plane shot down at 2,500 feet in daylight
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
