This celebrity goo was created by Scott Hardie.

This goo was worth a point in July 2026.

publication date: Saturday, July 4, 2026 (part of July 2026)

category: Science

clue: He wasn't a military commander from Virginia. He was an agricultural scientist and inventor, the arc of whose life—being born into slavery, witnessing race crimes, overcoming educational discrimination, joining the faculty of an esteemed school, devoting his career to teaching poor Southerners who spurned him how they could grow new crops like peanuts in soil that was depleted by cotton, and surviving until the eve of the post-war boom—inspires hope that America will spend its second 250 years fully embodying the principles that it established in its first.

explanation: Carver, who was born into slavery during the Civil War and died during World War II, was a scientist, inventor, and environmentalist. His work at Tuskegee Institute helped families whose farmland had been depleted of nutrients by many years of cotton and needed to be converted to other crops like sweet potatoes and peanuts. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

trivia: This goo was inspired by founding father George Washington.

You're Not My Real Founding Fathers!: America loves its Founding Fathers, and the nation's 250th anniversary makes for a fine opportunity to celebrate them. But wait—who are these imitators? These are actors, and musicians, and authors, and athletes! Their John Hancocks are very similar, but these aren't the real Founding Fathers! Starting apropos on Father's Day, here are a whopping fifty goos to challenge your knowledge of patriotic trivia. Can you identify these fifty fake signatories to a Declaration of Independence that never was? With luck, you\ll hold these goos to be self-evident.

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