1. The United States of America is also referred to as “the States”, “the United States”, “the U.S.”, “the USA”, and “America”. 2. In 1783, the United States became the first country to gain independence from a European power. 3. Did you know that the GPS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Air Force? The Global Positioning System is a utility that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. The system consists of three segments: the space segment, the control segment, and the user segment. 4. The first constitution of the United States was adopted in 1788. For the acceptance of the constitution which was proposed in 1787, nine states needed to vote in its favor. Delaware was the first state and New Hampshire was the ninth state to accept the constitution, thus making it legal. 5. The current U.S. flag was designed by a high school student – Robert G. Heft.