The 4th of July reminds us of many things, including John Hancock. You are probably familiar with the phrase, to "put your John Hancock" on something. It means, of course, to put your signature on it, and it stems from the prominent signature of John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, and the story goes that he signed his name very large on the center of the document, so that everyone else would have to sign around his name. It worked, because we all remember his name today, more than 225 years later.
In 1862, the John Hancock insurance company was chartered, and to this day the insurance company’s logo is a variation on the Declaration of Independence signature. Memorably, a few decades ago, the insurance company had an advertising jingle in which a choir of voices sang
Put your John Hancock
On a John Hancock
Life insurance
Policy
