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Spectral Imaging Reveals Jefferson Nixed 'Subjects' for 'Citizens'

Posted by timothy on from the this-is-cooler-than-unredacting-pdfs dept.

Jamie points out this excellent piece, well timed for America's Independence Day, that says spectrographic evidence has established that the one word Thomas Jefferson fully blotted out from an early draft of the Declaration of Independence was not "resident," or "patriot," but rather "subject." This, he replaced with "citizen."

8 of 360 comments (clear)

  1. When will the government ever learn... by Kaenneth · · Score: 5, Funny

    That redacting documents by simply putting a opaque block over them dosn't removing the unlaying data?

  2. Morphing by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tthe task was made more difficult by the way Jefferson sought to match the lines and curves of the underlying smudged letters with the new letters he wrote on top of them.

    "It's quite amazing how he morphed 'subjects' into 'citizens,' " she said. "We did the reverse morphing back to 'subjects.' "

    Figures. The government has been trying to do that for years ...

  3. Certain the word is "Subjects" or is it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "that rare first draft of the constitution with the word "suckers" in it."

  4. Re:free-born are inhabitants: denizens, not citize by GrumpySteen · · Score: 3, Funny

    And maybe a "+1 Stylish Tinfoil Hat"

  5. Re:Don't worry by lisany · · Score: 3, Funny

    I prefer not to have my corpse desecrated and mutilated post mortem. It certainly doesn't matter after I die but having the comfort while living that my corpse will not be desecrated and mutilated is quite comforting indeed.

  6. Re:Considering the mindset of the era by Alsee · · Score: 5, Funny

    when was the last time you wrote code that lasted more than two centuries with less than 30 patches?

    Six thousand years ago.

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  7. Re:Considering the mindset of the era by Volante3192 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's only because you refuse to fix the bug report code!

  8. Re:Considering the mindset of the era by Alsee · · Score: 4, Funny

    Platypus is closed as WONTFIX.
    All remaining bug reports are closed as PEBCAK.

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    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.