This is my article from today's newspaper (2016/09/14). So much of it I had never heard before. It's not heavy reading, but some fascinating stuff. During this week Americans are celebrating the birthday of the U.S. Constitution. Rarely does a day go by without someone in a news story referring to the Constitution, or without a discussion on whether a certain law is constitutional or unconstitutional. But how much do we really know about this marvelous document, and the stories and facts behind it. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest of all the written national constitutions. It contains 4,400 words. The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries. It took more than 100 days. Two of America’s “founding fathers” didn’t attend the Constitutional Convention nor did they sign the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was in France during the Convention, where he served as the U.S. minister. John Adams was serving as the U.S