10 Small Historical Details in 'National Treasure' That Are Surprisingly Accurate (2024)

National Treasure has a fun concept: what if the Declaration of Independence contained a map that led to a treasure hidden by America's Founding Fathers? Following a cryptic trail of historical clues, treasure hunter and historian Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) races to locate this hidden treasure before a team of mercenaries can get to it first.

National Treasure's commercial success birthed a franchise, with a third movie supposedly in development. The original film combines action and history to create a one-of-a-kind adventure. And while much of the movie is fiction (sorry, there's no hidden treasure), National Treasure does contain accurate details that would make history buffs nod with approval. Let's now separate fact from fiction and pinpoint ten historical details that National Treasure surprisingly gets right.

National Treasure

PG

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See Also

Best David Attenborough documentaries to stream – including new BBC series20 years ago, Nicolas Cage took audiences on an adventure in this heist movie | Digital TrendsSecrets of ‘National Treasure’ Revealed—20 Years Later

*Availability in US

Release Date

November 19, 2004

Director

Jon Turteltaub

Cast

Nicolas Cage , Diane Kruger , Justin Bartha , Sean Bean , Jon Voight , Harvey Keitel

Main Genre

Action

Runtime

131

10 "The Primary Writing Medium of the Time Was Iron Gall Ink"

The Declaration of Independence, the centerpiece of the American Revolution, serves as the backbone of the story in National Treasure. It provides the key -- or rather, the map -- to the hidden treasure. As such, the film references many historical details about the Declaration.

While thinking aloud, trying to piece together some of the clues, Ben says, "the primary writing medium of the time was iron gall ink." Iron gall ink really was the most popular ink in the late 18th century. In fact, it was used to write the Declaration of Independence itself in 1776.

9 The Declaration of Independence Is Written on Material That's Partially Made of Animal Skin

Iron gall ink isn't the only thing that makes up the Declaration of Independence. This historical artifact was written on parchment that was partially made of animal skin.

Some historians falsely claimed that the document was written on hemp. But other historians, including Benjamin Franklin Gates and the writers of National Treasure, correctly identified the material as animal skin.

8 The Notation on the Back of the Declaration of Independence

You don't need to be a historian to know that the Declaration of Independence is a famous piece of writing. But did you know there's also writing on the back of it? "The only thing there is a notation that reads 'Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776'," one of Ben's companions, Abigail (Diane Kruger), tells us.

And it's true. Those words really are inscribed on the back of this historical document, serving as a sort of label. And in case you were wondering, that's the only thing on the back of the Declaration. There isn't really an invisible map to uncover with lemon juice. Sorry folks.

7 Daylight Saving Time Wasn't Invented Until WWI

Poor Riley (Justin Bartha). As Ben's right-hand man, he spends most of the film getting overshadowed by Ben's vast, encyclopedic knowledge of American history. But he does nab a single victory when Ben gets stumped over daylight savings time.

"I know something about history that you don't know? This is cool," Riley gloats before revealing that daylight savings time wasn't established until after World War I. "Did you actually know who the first person to suggest daylight savings was?" Riley asks afterward. "Benjamin Franklin," Abigail and Ben answer together. All of this is historically accurate.

6 The British Ship "Charlotte" Was Real

Ben and Riley's treasure hunt kicks off with an expedition through the Arctic to find the Charlotte, an old British ship that got lost at sea. This ship wasn't an invention of the screenwriters. It really did exist, though it's unlikely that it would've wound up in the Arctic.

The Charlotte was reportedly lost off the coast of Newfoundland in 1818, which is a bit far from our characters' destinations. Still a cool tidbit, though.

5 Timothy Matlack Helped Write the Declaration of Independence

Ever hear of Timothy Matlack? Most Americans haven't, even though he was an important contributor to the Declaration of Independence. Every American knows that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration, but what most people don't know is that he didn't pen the official document. All those swirly, pretty letters on the parchment -- that isn't even Jefferson's handwriting.

Timothy Matlack -- an influential political leader during the American Revolution, who was known for his excellent penmanship -- was charged with transcribing Jefferson's copy. It's Matlack's version, not Jefferson's, that the Founding Fathers signed and is now perceived, nearly 250 years later, as the official Declaration of Independence.

4 Charles Carroll Was the Last Living Signer of the Declaration

National Treasure opens with a young Ben Frankin Gates (Hunter Gomez) listening to a story from his grandfather, John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer), about a hidden treasure that's connected to America's Founding Fathers. He explains how their family came to learn of the treasure, which was relayed to their ancestor, Thomas Gates, by a man named Charles Carroll.

"Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence," John Adams Gates explains. As far as we know, Charles Carroll wasn't involved in hoarding any secret treasure, but he really was the last surviving signer of the Declaration.

3 Benjamin Franklin Wrote Letters as Silence Dogood

Yet another clue points to a series of letters from the 1700s, penned by a mysterious author named Silence Dogood. The film tells us, "When Ben Franklin was only 15-years-old, he secretly wrote 14 letters to his brother's newspaper, pretending to be a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood." Part of this explanation is false -- Benjamin Franklin was 16 at the time -- but the rest of this statement is true.

Ben's brother, James Franklin, was the founder and publisher of the New-England Courant, a newspaper that had rejected several of Ben's letters for publication. Frustrated and eager for publication, Ben adopted the persona of Silence Dogood and wrote 14 letters under this pseudonym. The Courant published all 14 letters, many of which poked fun at life in colonial America.

The letters proved popular among readers. Some of them even expressed an interest in marrying the widowed Silence Dogood. Suffice to say, James wasn't happy when he learned that his little brother had written those letters. The New-England Courant remains an important piece of American history, as it's credited for launching Benjamin Franklin's printing career and for containing his first published works.

2 The Liberty Bell Was Replaced by the Centennial Bell

The Liberty Bell, another iconic symbol from American history, also makes a cameo in National Treasure. At one point, we find ourselves on a Liberty Bell tour with the film's villain, Ian (played by Sean Bean), where we learn an interesting fact. "It was in 1846, on George Washington's birthday, that the final expansion of the crack occurred, retiring the Liberty Bell permanently," the tour guide explains. This is true. The Liberty Bell rang one last time in honor of George Washington's birthday in 1846, which cracked it beyond repair and retired the Liberty Bell for good.

In the very next scene, Ben and his team investigate the Liberty Bell's original location, where a different bell now hangs in its place. "What bell is this?" asks Riley. "The Centennial Bell," Ben tells us. "Replaced the Liberty Bell in 1876." This, too, is accurate. In anticipation of America's centennial in 1876, a different bell was constructed from four melted-down Revolutionary War and Civil War cannons. The Centennial Bell replaced the Liberty Bell in the tower of Independence Hall, where it remains to this day.

1 The Declaration's Atomic Bomb-Proof Vault

It only seems appropriate to wrap up this list with one last fun fact about the Declaration of Independence. In National Treasure, the Declaration is given maximum security protection. When it's not being viewed by the public, the Declaration is lowered into an atomic bomb-proof vault.

Shockingly, this isn't fiction. Each night at the National Archives, the Declaration of Independence, along with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, is lowered into a specially designed, 50-ton safe beneath the exhibition area. And there the documents wait until their next public showing. No other text in the world receives this level of protection, making the Declaration of Independence one of the most securely guarded documents ever made.