Bill Of Rights Day 2016: 8 Interesting Facts About The First 10 Amendments To The Constitution

Thursday marks the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the set of the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. The package of amendments, dated Dec. 15, 1791, contains some of the most well-known principles that define the country — think freedom of speech and the right to trial by jury.

"For 225 years, the Bill of Rights has shaped our Nation and protected our citizens, and today, in honor of all those who have worked to secure these freedoms, we strive to continue forming a more perfect Union guided by an enduring belief in these highest ideals," President Barack Obama wrote in a proclamation Wednesday. "On Bill of Rights Day, we celebrate the long arc of progress that transformed our Nation from a fledgling and fragile democracy to one in which civil rights are the birthright of all Americans."

If you live in the U.S., you've probably taken a history class at one point or another. But how much do you really know about the Bill of Rights? Here are eight facts to read and share on Bill of Rights Day.

The Bill of Rights was penned by James Madison, who would later become the fourth president, according to the Bill of Rights Institute.

Madison was inspired by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was put together in 1776 and gave power to the people over the government, according to Mental Floss.

The document also has similarities to the Magna Carta, an English charter of liberties from the 1200s.

Madison examined the Constitution and noted at least 19 things he wanted to change. The House of Representatives approved 17 amendments, and the Senate OKed 12. Ten actually wound up in the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams also supported the idea of the Bill of Rights.

Congress asked for one copy of the Bill of Rights for the federal government plus one for each state. But Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York have lost theirs, according to the National Constitution Center.

President Franklin Roosevelt was the leader who started Bill of Rights Day in 1941, according to the National Archives. At the time, he said, "no date in the long history of freedom means more to liberty-loving men in all liberty-loving countries than the 15th day of December, 1791."

Today, there are 27 amendments. The most recent one was ratified in 1992.