John Hancock is, by far, the biggest signature on the declaration of independence

One of the interesting facts about John Hancock is that he was serving as the Second Continental Congress's interim president at the time. As a result, in July 1776, he was the first to sign Thomas Jefferson's historic declaration. Only Hancock and Secretary Charles Thompson's signatures are included on the initial printed copies. These typeset documents were sent to the colonies before a handwritten copy that was exactly the same was produced. This copy eventually collected 56 signatures, the majority of which were written on August 2. It is presently on exhibit at the National Archive.

Hancock's signature dwarfs the competitors, as you'll quickly see. Most of them occupy a space of between one and 2.5 square inches. Hancock's signature, though, is by far the largest at 6.1 square inches. What made him outdo everyone else? Historians are uncertain.

You can, however, at least remove one prevailing misconception regarding the matter. There, making a guess King George will be able to read that, Hancock reportedly yelled as he scrawled his oversized signature. However, there is no verified evidence that he ever said this.