BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Donald Trump's 'airport' revolution sees people rewrite history

  • Published
    5 July 2019
Share page
About sharing
Media caption,

Trump claims army 'took over airports' in 1775

Kris Bramwell
BBC News

A speech by the president of the United States will always get attention, especially on 4 July.

But Donald Trump's 2019 address to mark America's Independence Day has been flying around on social media more than usual.

During the address in Washington DC, Mr Trump suggested the Continental Army "took over the airports" during the revolutionary war against Britain in the late 18th Century.

It's not clear exactly what Mr Trump was referring to. The first successful plane to take flight was the Wright Flyer, in the US, in 1903, external - more than 100 years later.

In response, people have been adding their own, imagined references to air travel within established history.

The hashtag #revolutionarywarairportstories has been used nearly 4,000 times on Twitter so far, and the term Revolutionary War used more than 16,000 times.

Twitter user @King_Of_Shade invented the Battle of Baggage Claim in 1776.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Covfefe Jones- King Of Shade👑

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Covfefe Jones- King Of Shade👑
Presentational white space

The American War of Independence began as a result of tensions between those living in Great Britain's North American colonies and the colonial government of the time.

With the help of France, George Washington's Continental Army forced the British surrender in Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.

The Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776,, external which is why this is seen as Independence Day.

Media caption,

The Salute to America event featured military flyovers and fireworks

On Reddit, some have exaggerated the achievements of the Continental Army during the war.

User SlumdogSkillionaire commented: "By the end of the war there was not a single airport on the continent that was under British control. The troops were nothing if not thorough."

While another user added that: "Not a single RAF aircraft was in the skies above America during the Battle of Yorktown. What a strategic accomplishment!"

But for Twitter user @Jungle_os, the burning question was where George Washington's horse would be stored on a plane.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by LionO*s_Jungle

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by LionO*s_Jungle

Ed Solomon, the writer of the Bill & Ted film trilogy, has also got involved in the fun.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by Ed Solomon

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by Ed Solomon

His tweet references the Americans saying "one if by land, two if by sea". These words are part of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem Paul Revere's Ride., external

Paul Revere signalled the approach of the British at the start of the war by ordering two lanterns to be placed in a Boston church tower.

Elsewhere, astute viewers of the speech, like Aazami Shervin, pointed out that Mr Trump's mention of Fort McHenry references the war of 1812, external and not the revolutionary war.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 4 by Shervin Aazami

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 4 by Shervin Aazami

You might also be interested in:

  • 'Supporters' in Trump adverts were actors

  • Does Trump get Apple boss's name wrong?

  • Trump artwork spotted on White House wall

Meanwhile, supporters of the president have praised Mr Trump's speech at the Salute to America event.

His video montage of his address has been watched more than two million times on Twitter. Among the welcoming replies, some called the speech "powerful and uplifting"., external

In a tweet which has been liked more than 5,600 times, Patricia A Valenti-R said:, external "The history lesson was superb since most young people today have no clue about our real history."

More on this story

  • 'Supporters' in Trump adverts were actors

    • Published
      3 July 2019
    Image of 'Tracey from Florida'
  • Does Trump get Apple boss’s name wrong? Video, 00:00:17Does Trump get Apple boss’s name wrong?

    • Published
      7 March 2019
    0:17
    Tim Cook and Donald Trump
  • Trump artwork spotted on White House wall

    • Published
      15 October 2018
    The Republican Club, by Andy Thomas

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Germany to stop arms sales to Israel that could be used in Gaza after takeover plan approved

    • 12350 viewing12k viewing
  • Boy, 15, found guilty of murdering fellow pupil

    • Published
      6 minutes ago
  • Courts service 'covered up' IT bug that caused evidence to go missing

    • Published
      6 hours ago

More to explore

  • Cacio e pepe: Good Food pasta recipe sparks fury in Italy

    pasta in a bowl with cheese and pepper
  • Big Mags: The paedophile-hunting granny who built a heroin empire

    Mags Haney outside her home in the Raploch talking to two police officers. The photo from the mid 1990s shows Haney with short bleached blond hair and big earrings. She is wearing a pink cardigan and and orange t-shirt. A number of locals are standing around watching the scene
  • Faisal Islam: Why has the Bank of England cut rates?

    Andrew Bailey, Bank of England governor, looks straight at the camera. he's wearing glasses and a dark suit.
  • India's immigration raids send ripples through slums and skyscrapers alike

    A woman stands in a slum in Delhi
  • Watch: See where China plans to put its controversial mega-embassy

    A composite image of Damian Grammaticas and the proposed China embassy
  • Weekly quiz: Which baby names took top spot?

    A stock photo shows a baby looking directly at the camera while pouting as they prop their head up on an outdoor chair with bokeh depth of field behind.
  • Who is most likely to challenge Liverpool this season?

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Liverpool celebrate with Premier League trophy
  • Why Trump-Putin talks unlikely to bring rapid end to Ukraine war

    A composite image of Donald Trump on the left and Vladimir Putin on the right. Both men are wearing suits.
  • Summer Essential: Your family’s guide to the summer, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday

    concentric circles ranging from orange to yellow to represent the sun, with a blue sky background
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Boy, 15, found guilty of murdering fellow pupil

  2. 2

    Boy, 4, dies after being hit by bus as he walked out of hospital

  3. 3

    MP mistakes charity rowers for 'illegal migrants'

  4. 4

    Is Perrier as pure as it claims? The bottled water scandal gripping France

  5. 5

    Britons booking 'later, closer, shorter' UK breaks

  6. 6

    Mushroom murderer tried to kill husband with pasta, cookies and curry, court was told

  7. 7

    Cacio e pepe: Good Food pasta recipe sparks fury in Italy

  8. 8

    Big Mags: The paedophile-hunting granny who built a heroin empire

  9. 9

    Courts service 'covered up' IT bug that caused evidence to go missing

  10. 10

    Suspected people smuggling arrest after BBC probe

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Your latest reality TV obsession has landed on iPlayer

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Destination X
  • Jacob Elordi stars in explosive war drama

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Inside the front-line fight against cybercriminals

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Panorama: Fighting Cyber Criminals
  • A rare glimpse into the world of rope access

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Our Lives: High Stakes
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.