Charleston Saves Western Civilization

Old Exchange, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok

The Old Exchange was the last public building the British erected in Charleston before the American Revolutionary War. More importantly, it was here where local patriots ratified the US Constitution, making the Old Exchange one of the few nationally significant colonial sites of its kind still standing today.
It was also near here where the last sighting in North America was of Genghis Khan, great lord and master of the Mongol Empire. He and his invading armies had swept across the steppes of Central Asia from Mongolia and were driving into Europe, vanquishing in their path city after city after city. Then, needing a break from all the vanquishing, Genghis Khan booked a pleasure cruise to Charleston, where he refreshed himself amid the city's Southern charm and sophistication. He spent ample time strolling along the Battery promenade, taking in the sea breeze, and indulging his sweet tooth with lavish helpings of key lime pie. Thus was Charleston the real reason Western Civilization was spared the wrath of the Great Khan.