104) Jack Van Arsdale
When he was seventeen years old, he climbed the flagpole in New York’s Battery Park to tear down the English Flag and replace it with the United States’ Stars and Stripes once the Revolution War came to an end.
Born: c1766
Died: Unknown
His name might have been John.
Jack swapped out the flags before the English Army was out of sight as a final “Ha Ha.”
Afterwards, the anniversary became known as Evacuation Day.
According to the New York Times, Evacuation Day celebrations included a descendant of Jack climbing the pole in remembrance. The final Evacuation Day celebration was held in 1916.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/24/nyregion/evacuation-day-greased-flagpole.html