John Hancock is known for his bold signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, which he was the first to sign on August 2, 1776, and not for any particularly memorable phrases he uttered. His iconic signature, however, has become synonymous with the phrase, "I can't tell a lie," famously attributed to George Washington's encounter with his father regarding chopping down a cherry tree, an apocryphal story that gained popularity from a children's book published in 1800.