AspireAgain

AspireAgain OP t1_j570p8s wrote

From a US perspective most medical/legal/enrollment forms have a space for a middle initial. Most online consumer focused ones don't.

If you're dealing with school systems and program registrations and health care and etc , the Middle Initial field is ubiquitous, I suppose for the same reason Carver started using W - to avoid confusion. But it is very rarely a required field.

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AspireAgain OP t1_j56icot wrote

It doesn't usually get used, with most people just using the middle initial when filling out forms.

Middle names are usually only commonly used when the individual is a criminal and the news needs to make sure that, for example, Lee Jeffrey Oswald isn't confused with Lee Harvey Oswald.

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AspireAgain OP t1_j52otl9 wrote

If I had to guess, perhaps "Washington" started to be used to help promote adoption of the agricultural advances he had worked on. It probably made his name more memorable, and also helped African-Americans who first heard the name to realize that he was African-American also.

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AspireAgain t1_j2sz48e wrote

We relocated from Illinois to Morris County for about 6 years and it was amazing how much Revolutionary War history there was in the area. Jockey Hollow was quite an eye-opener, as was when a reenactor at the Colonial Farm there joked that the farmhouse on site was probably the ONLY place in New Jersey that no one claim Washington visited, as History shows he never visited the troops in Jockey Hollow at all while they were there.

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AspireAgain t1_iyoymrv wrote

I appreciate the comment and it’s true what you say, but the map actually shows they had at least 40. As it turns out they didn’t get creative with the numbering system for their infantry regiments. As it turns out they had about 50 regimental sized units depending on how you count them. I think units like the 82nd Airborne and 101st names derive from their original associations (its been awhile so I'm not sure), but I do know in WWII in the Pacific the 3rd Fleet and 5th Fleet were comprised of the same ships, with the Fleet changing names depending upon whether Halsey or Spruance was in charge.

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