We all know that George Washington's teeth weren't made of wood. As funny or famous as those stories might be, they're made up.

But what might amaze you is that the story of our country is made up of monumental moments and silly scenes.

A new book called "The American Story" is a collection of 100 stories; some are silly, some are serious and all of them tell you something you might not have known.

Here are some amazing but true facts from the book:

• Who's Uncle Sam?

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You've probably seen the red-white-and-blue-clad figure in parades on the Fourth of July. But how did Uncle Sam come to stand for the nation's government? You can thank a butcher in New York named Sam Wilson.

During the War of 1812, barrels with goods were stamped with "U.S." — for "United States." In the town of Troy, N.Y., Sam Wilson was known as Uncle Sam, and the local people began to tease him that the "U.S." stamp really stood for "Uncle Sam."

In 1961 Congress formally recognized Sam Wilson as the inspiration for the Uncle Sam symbol.

• It's in the Paper, It Must Be True

On Aug. 25, 1835, the New York Sun newspaper began publishing a series about life on the moon. One story included descriptions of furry, winged people: "They averaged four feet in height; were covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper-colored hair; and had wings composed of a thin membrane."

The next month the newspaper admitted that the series was a hoax, designed to get more people to read the paper.

• Pac-Mania

It's hard to believe, but there was a time when video games were lame. In the 1970s, an electronic version of table tennis called Pong had what passed for cool graphics. Then came Pac-Man. Created in Japan, it gobbled its way through arcades in the United States very quickly, at 25 cents a game. Pac-Man cleared the way for many of the video games you play today.