greatest 250

in 2026, the united states will celebrate its 250th birthday. understanding the declaration of independence as important to this narrative, we begin our greatest 250 project from the declaration's opening line: "when in the course of human events..." in starting the declaration this way, jefferson and associates recognized that the people in these united states had a shared experience and to some extent collective interpretation of human events that motivated them to declare independence and create their own nation. that started and continues to define the two and a half centuries of human history that we are calling the greatest 250.