Epic Fails of History #11

Not that it's in any way alone on that one. All major countries are in debt, and most have been so for a very long time. In many cases, for their entire existence.

Not that it doesn't have its good parts.

Sources:
Robert Smith, When the U.S. Paid Off Their Entire National Debt (And Why It Didn't Last), NPR.org, April 15 2011
John Buescher, Freedom and the National Debt, teachinghistory.org