Thomas Paine and the Call for Independence

The guy who convinced America to declare independence had only been in the country for a year.

Thomas Paine showed up and saw colonists were mad at British policies but still weirdly loyal to

the king. He thought this was absurd. So he wrote "Common Sense," calling

the king a "royal brute" and arguing it was insane for an island to rule a continent.

He used simple, fiery language anyone could understand. The pamphlet went viral,

selling 120,000 copies and getting read aloud in taverns. It made independence the only logical

choice. And the craziest part? After changing the world,

his bones were literally lost.