As a result, asking someone for their “John Hancock” is to ask them for their signature. ... 3100 BC in Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, where cuneiform script was developed.

When John Hancock scrawled his enormous signature at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence, it was a brave act; capture by the British might have meant execution.

Put your John Hancock down on National Handwriting Day. ... The earliest-known writing dates back to around 3500 - 3100 BC in Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, where cuneiform script was developed.