Discover Jamestown: Top 10 Fun Facts About America's First Permanent English Settlement

1. Colonial America's Got Talent

Long before colonial America's Got Talent, the hit show was Colonial Legislation: Jamestown Edition: The first legislative assembly in the New World convened in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, with the Governor, Council, and two Burgesses from each plantation, hashing out laws against drunkenness and gambling, Indian protections, and mandatory church attendance in a sweltering church – just sans catfights and political flame wars.
Source => nps.gov

2. Love Conquers All

When love conquers all - even colonial tensions: John Rolfe tied the knot with Pocahontas, successfully building a bridge between the English settlers and the local Native Americans for eight years, ultimately leading to their son Thomas Rolfe becoming a significant figure in Virginia's history.
Source => history.com

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=> Fun Facts about Pompeii

3. Desperate Dining Choices

Who let the dogs out...for dinner? In Jamestown's winter of despair, colonists put a whole new spin to "you are what you eat": During the winter of 1609-1610, desperate for sustenance, they resorted to consuming horses, dogs, cats, rats, snakes, and even human corpses. Archaeological evidence from their trash pits reveals the extent of these apocalyptic dining choices during the infamous "starving time."
Source => naturalhistory.si.edu

4. Swiping Right on Pocahontas

Forget swiping right on Tinder, John Rolfe really swiped right when he married Pocahontas: The Jamestown colonial leader wed the legendary Native American princess to forge a peaceful alliance between her tribe and the struggling settlers, whisking her off to jolly old England where she became a tabloid sensation of the 1600s. Sadly, our transatlantic lovebirds were parted too soon, as Pocahontas fell ill and bid adieu to this world at the tender age of 21 before she could set sail back to Virginia with her hubby.
Source => ncpedia.org

5. Cannibalism in Jamestown

When early American settlers screamed, "Ayo, that's bussin'!" they weren't just being ahead of their time: Archaeologists found evidence of cannibalism in Jamestown, Virginia, during the winter of 1609-1610, with the discovery of a 14-year-old skeleton named "Jane" who bears marks indicating flesh and brain were removed in a desperate attempt at survival.
Source => usnews.com

6. The Original Brick House

Did you know that Governor Sir Francis Wyatt might have just been the original "brick house," putting the Commodores to shame with his architectural prowess? No, not as a person, but because of his actual house: Archaeological evidence suggests that Wyatt's mid-1600s "Country House" (S38) was built with bricks and featured two rooms heated by a fireplace in the west gable. The plot thickens further as a previous timber building (S178) once stood in its place, potentially as part of Richard Kemp's earlier construction escapades.
Source => nps.gov

7. Sumptuous History

Jamestown, where the settlers didn't just fiddle while Rome burned, they discovered a whole new world of ways to make smores: Today, visitors can explore the rich and delicious history at Jamestown's museums and historical sites, including the Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, all nestled within the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia alongside Williamsburg and Yorktown.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Captain Smith: The OG Tinder Expert

Before swiping right on native friends was a thing, Captain John Smith was the OG Tinder expert in the New World: Smith built alliances with the Powhatan Indians, including the chief's daughter Pocahontas, who provided the Jamestown colonists with food and supplies during tough times.
Source => nps.gov

9. Dr. Bill "Fort Finder" Kelso

Before Indiana Jones donned his fedora, a real-life archaeological superhero named Dr. Bill "Fort Finder" Kelso unearthed the lost kingdom of 17th-century America: In 1994, with his groundbreaking discovery of the original James Fort site in Jamestown, Dr. Kelso and his fearless crew have since excavated millions of historical treasures that have rewritten the early chapters of American history. To ensure their legacy of unearthing the past, the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation has established the Dr. William M. and Ellen B. Kelso Fund for Archaeology, amassing almost $1.2 million to keep the spirit of adventure and preservation alive.
Source => wydaily.com

10. Corn: The Vegetable Star

Before corn became the Kardashians of the crop world, gracing our fields and dinner plates: Virginia Indians of the Woodland Period (1000 BC-AD 1650) revered this veggie celeb, cultivating not only corn but also beans and squash, with hunting and foraging to boot. Their culinary pottery game was strong, boiling up everything from organ meats to possibly smoked oysters, which they might have traded but never considered keeping as slimy pets.
Source => encyclopediavirginia.org