Who was Alexander Hamilton?
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And now it's time for Who Smarted? Psst! Hey, smarty pants! Here's a quick question for any smarty pants living in the United States or anyone who has ever seen or paid using American money. Do you know the name of the person on the $10 bill? If you said George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, or Ben Franklin? Sorry, smarties. But if you said Alexander Hamilton, you're right!

But wait, smarty pants, who was Alexander Hamilton? The funny thing is, if I asked this question 20 years ago, a lot of listeners would have probably had trouble answering it. But these days, a lot of you do know, thanks to a particular Broadway musical. ♪

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the music. Stop the music. I have done way too much to be remembered simply as a musical and song and dance number. But, Mr. Hamilton, the play about you was hugely successful and received many of the world's highest honors. That included 11 Tony Awards, 7 Olivier Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize for drama. Trust me when I say the play about your life is more than just a song and dance number. Gah, I don't know anything about that. I just care about the Republic.

Some say you cared a lot about yourself, too. Do you blame me? You try starting a new country. For that, you need big leaders with big ideas and even bigger personalities. Smarty Pants, do you know what role Alexander Hamilton had back when the United States was brand new? Was he A, America's first vice president, B, the first treasury secretary, or C, the first defense secretary?

My family didn't have much money, but I grew to like it. Indeed. Alexander Hamilton took charge of America's money as B, the nation's first Treasury Secretary. He was appointed by the first President of the United States. Go ahead. Call out his name on the count of three. Ready? One, two, three.

That's right. George Washington. Smarty pants, true or false? Hamilton became a founding father because growing up, he knew a lot of famous American people. That statement is blatantly false. I didn't even grow up in the colonies. My home was the Caribbean island of Nevis. In fact, I didn't know anybody. After my father left and my mother died, I did things on my own, using brains and hard work to achieve a position of power.

So, in other words, this $10 founding father without a father got a lot farther by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter, by being a self-starter. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop it. Stop it!

I don't want any of that. Sorry, we'll do this the way we normally do on Who Smarted? By asking and answering questions like, why is Alexander Hamilton so famous? What was his life really like? And how much of the hit musical is true? And what was made up? It's time for another whiff of history and science on... Who Smarted? Who Smarted?

Who's Smarted? Who's Smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up, everyone. Lots of fun on Who's Smarted?

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Smarty Pants, if you look at a U.S. $1 bill and a U.S. $5 bill, you'll notice they feature two presidents, Washington and Lincoln. And as we've said, Alexander Hamilton is on the next highest U.S. dollar amount, the $10 bill. True or false, Hamilton also became a president? The answer is false. Despite being on U.S. money, Hamilton never became president. Shit!

Oh, but yes, it's true. I never became president. Smarty pants, true or false? Alexander Hamilton is the only person on current U.S. money who was not a president. The answer to that is...

Also false. That's right. There's one other non-president on U.S. currency. And guess what? We did a Who's Smarted episode about him. If you know who we're talking about, go ahead and shout out your answer on three. One, two, three.

Yep, it's Ben Franklin. Ah, yes, Benjamin Franklin. Very important to the Republic. Franklin and I weren't particularly close. He was nearly 50 years older than me, after all. And that's one reason why Franklin doesn't appear in the Hamilton musical. But both have been on U.S. currency for many years. So who was on the money first? Hamilton or Franklin? If you said Hamilton, you're right.

In fact, Alexander Hamilton has appeared on more U.S. money denominations than anyone else, including the president's. Whoa. We all know he's now on the $10 bill, but Hamilton has also been on $2 bills, $5 bills, $20 bills, and more. And Hamilton's portrait was on the very first piece of paper currency issued by the federal government.

Is that so? I never saw my image on paper money. That's because the federal government didn't start issuing paper money until 1861, some 57 years after you were shot and killed. Egads! I get shot? You've been dead for more than 200 years. I thought you'd know that by now. But what about those who haven't seen the play yet?

Spoiler alert! Yeah, I know, but it's mentioned at the very beginning of the play. And again, it's been over 200 years. It's kind of hard to keep that a secret. But we're not up to that point yet. Good. Let's not rush that. Smarty Pants, do you remember how Hamilton said he was an orphan living in the Caribbean? Around what age was he when he left home for the American colonies? Was he 16, 25, or 32? The answer is...

16. Yep, just a boy. And what city did he arrive in? Boston, New York, or Philadelphia?

The answer is New York. Yes, in New York, I could be a new man. Folks in the Caribbean were impressed with my writing and accounting skills, so they raised enough money for me to go to college in the city. Of course I went. This was a big opportunity, and I was not throwing away my shot. Uh, you sure you don't want any music under that? You'll see my story is better without the music. Just you wait. Just you wait. Right.

Smarty Pants, when Hamilton arrived in New York, the year was 1773. Just three years later, in 1776, the American colonies would be at war with Great Britain. Smarty Pants, what was this war called? A. The Civil War. B. World War I. Or C. The American Revolution. Why, of course, it's C. The American Revolution.

Hamilton was heavily involved in this revolution, first by writing pamphlets defending the colonists against the British, and then by fighting in the war himself. Yes, I was quite skilled in battle, and after just a year of war, I earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Continental Army. But that wasn't enough for me. You could say I'm never satisfied. ♪

No, no, no, no, no. I said no music. Hamilton's bravery during the war caught the attention of a certain general. Smarty Pants, any idea who? Was it A, Aaron Burr, B, Andrew Jackson, or C, George Washington? Don't talk to me about Aaron Burr. Um, I can't promise that, but we're not there yet. The answer is C, General George Washington.

Hamilton became Washington's assistant and wrote lots of letters on his behalf. Washington trusted Hamilton and even had him command some of the forces at the Battle of Yorktown, an American victory that essentially ended the Revolutionary War. We had to rise up because history had its eyes on us. Uh-huh.

Word got around about Hamilton's heroics, and suddenly this little-known Caribbean immigrant became an American celebrity. Hamilton jumped into politics, representing New York at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. That same year, he and fellow patriots John Jay and James Madison wrote a series of articles to convince people to support the new Constitution, which would create the United States government.

These essays were published in local newspapers and became Hamilton's most famous works. Smarty Pants, do you know what these essays are called? Are they A, the Federalist Papers, B, the Pentagon Papers, or C, the Constitution Papers? The answer is A, the Federalist Papers. Altogether, these three men wrote 85 essays. How many of these do you suppose Hamilton wrote? Was it 15, 36, or 51?

The answer is 51. Just like my country, I was young, scrappy, and hungry. I'd write day and night like I was running out of time. Are you sure you don't want music? No, no music. If you say so. Anyway, the Constitution was ratified, or approved, and in 1789, George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States.

Washington, in turn, appointed his trusted friend Alexander Hamilton to be, that's right, the first U.S. Treasury Secretary. Yes, I was in the room where members of the cabinet debated ideas and created new government policy. You mean the room where it happens? No music! Right, no music.

Under Hamilton's leadership, the U.S. government developed a strong national bank and set the foundation for what would eventually become today's Federal Reserve System, which, among other things, controls the money supply, including the Hamilton $10 bill. Which appeared after I was shot?

Yes, you had strong opinions and made quite a few enemies over the years. Some of your most famous arguments were against Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and Vice President Aaron Burr. There's that name again. Sorry, I have to mention him. Smarty Pants, do you know why I have to mention Aaron Burr? I hear some of you know, but if you don't know or you aren't sure, the reason Hamilton doesn't like that name is...

Coming right up after a quick break and a word from our sponsors.

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Hey, smarty friends. Trusty here. I grew up on the Smurfs. Saturday mornings, cereal in hand, glued to the screen. So yeah, I cannot wait for this. Smurfs is back. And this time it's bigger, bolder, and bursting with magic.

Blue magic! When Papa Smurf is taken by two seriously evil wizards, it's up to Smurfette, voiced by Rihanna, to lead the rescue mission into the real world. Along the way, the Smurfs discover that saving the universe means trusting something they've never relied on before.

Magic. The music? All new. Rihanna, Cardi B, DJ Khaled. Yes, please. And the cast is stacked. James Corden, Daniel Levy, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Kurt Russell, John Goodman. Honestly, it's wild. It's got everything. Laughs, heart, music, and that classic Smurf spirit that I've loved forever.

perfect for the whole family or anyone who remembers what it felt like to believe in a little blue world full of hope. Just like I did. Smurfs hits theaters July 18th. I'll be there. Hope you will too. Now back to Who Smarted.

Okay, smarty pants. As you heard, every time I mention the name Aaron Burr, my friend Alexander Hamilton gets upset. I would say more than upset. Do you know why the name Aaron Burr upsets Hamilton so much? Is it because A, he owed him a lot of money? B, he stole Hamilton's girlfriend? Or C, he shot and killed Hamilton in a duel? Unfortunately for Hamilton, the answer is C.

On July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey, Vice President Aaron Burr and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton faced off in a duel. And Alexander Hamilton became the only founding father to be shot and killed by a vice president. Really? The only one? Yep, just you. What a useless fact.

Maybe, but it is a fact, unlike some of the things in the Hamilton musical. Wait, what are you saying? I'm saying that while the Hamilton musical was hugely successful, both critically and commercially, and is now performed on stages around the world and also streaming on Disney+, and while it is mostly factual, according to many historians, and includes many quotes from Hamilton's actual writings, there may be some things that got a little, shall we say, embellished.

He gads? Like what? Well, for one thing, it's been said that the musical makes you way more likable than you were in real life. Oh, really? And they say Thomas Jefferson wasn't as irritating as he appears on stage. Oh,

What do they know? And the play makes you a strong opponent of slavery. Well, I did help form an anti-slavery group. Yeah, but beyond that, you didn't fight very much against it. Uh-huh, uh-huh. What else is there? The timing of certain events, even your shooting, were changed to move the play along. And some characters, like Aaron Burr, do things in the show that others did in real life. And while you and Burr were rivals, Burr wasn't there every step of the way.

True, but he did shoot me. Yes, that part is true. And one other thing. While the Hamilton musical is praised for featuring people from many different races and cultures, the characters they portray were mostly white in real life. However, critics say the play ignores the stories of people of other races who contributed to the American Revolution.

People like Bunker Hill hero Salem Poor and Cato, an enslaved man who helped Hamilton's friend Hercules Mulligan spy on the British. Hey, nobody or no play is perfect.

Also true. And despite those issues, most critics overwhelmingly agree that the play is groundbreaking and captures so much of that era. Not the least of which was transforming a forgotten founding father into a modern-day hit. In fact, before the musical became popular, there was even talk about taking Hamilton off the

the $10 bill. Egads! Is that true? Would a trusty narrator lie? But here's the thing, smarty pants. The Hamilton musical is just a starting point. There are many other works you can read and watch to get a complete picture of who lives, who dies, and who tells Hamilton's story. Alexander! Please, no music. Yeah, that's probably for the best.

A super smarty shout out to a super smarty family, Miles, Langston, older sister Joy, and mom Erica, who all love joining us for wild Who Smarted adventures anytime they get in the car. Aw, thanks for that. We just love sharing science and history with you. Here's to lots more smarting in the future.

This episode, Hamilton, was written by Dave DeLafayette-Baudry and voiced by Mike MyShot-Prevetti and Jerry Kolber. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hercules-Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Constitution-Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Skyler-Sister-Suarez. Lyrics written and performed by Adam Burr-Sir-Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an Atomic Audio production. Who Smarted?