Putting in you John Hancock

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The other day one of my friend asked me what is the meaning of "John Hancock" because he overheard someone used the expression "Put your John Hancock here."

Although I studied in English after finishing Primary school, I am not really familiar with the slang expressions. I do have a faint impression that it means something like signature, but I don't know the story behind it.

 
John Hancock should be a household name in the US, since John Hancock Insurance is a pretty big financial services company in the US. Also, there is the famous John Hancock Center in Chicago, which, together with the Sears Tower, are the two most beloved buildings in Chicago.

After a few minutes of "googling," I found out that John Hancock does indeed mean signature, and the story goes all the way back to the founding days of the United States of America. John Hancock was a Harvard Graduate and a successful merchant at the time and became the Massachusetts Representative of the Continental Congress. He was elected the president of the Continental Congress later. He was the first person to put his signature on the Declaration of Independence. His large, flamboyant signature in the middle of the document became famous. Referring to a bounty that the British has put on his head, he said, "The British ministry can read that name without spectacles; let them double their reward." Therefore, John Hancock later became a slang expression for signature.