Uncle Sam is known to everyone as a mythical character symbolizing the United States. For many years people didn’t know if he was a real person or just a made-up idea. Most people would be surprised to learn that Uncle Sam was indeed based on a real person, a New York State businessman, Sam Wilson. His nickname, Uncle Sam, became associated with the U.S. government in a joking manner during the War of 1812. Sam Wilson sold meat to the army, and he wrote the letters US on the crates. This meant United States, but this abbreviation was not yet common. One day a company worker was asked what the letters US stood for. He wasn’t sure and wrongly said that perhaps the letters stood for his employer, Uncle Sam. Nevertheless, the mistake continued. Soon soldiers started referring to all military goods as coming from Uncle Sam. They even saw themselves as Uncle Sam’s men.