James Edward Hanger was hit by shrapnel from a cannonball at the beginning of the American Civil War, but rather than settle for a pegleg, he returned home to Virginia and began designing an alternative – the world’s first articulated prosthetic that could bend like a real leg.
Watch Next
- What is Memorial Day?
- What is the Department of Justice?
- What are Unalienable Rights?
- What is a Congressional Whip?
- The Teapot Dome Scandal Explained
- What is the Oath of Office?
- Who was George Washington?
- What is the Secret Service?
- What is the State of the Union Address?
- What is The Pledge of Allegiance?