Fun facts about Fourth of July

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Fourth of July
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Did you know? On July 4, 1778, George Washington celebrated the holiday by ordering a double ration of rum for his soldiers to toast the occasion.

Fact 1 of 29

29 facts about Fourth of July

  1. 1
    The reason we celebrate on the Fourth is due to the date printed on the copies of the Declaration, known as the Dunlap Broadsides, which were distributed to the public starting on July 4.
  2. 2
    The Declaration of Independence was not actually signed by everyone on July 4; most delegates signed it on August 2, 1776, nearly a month later.
  3. 3
    If the Liberty Bell had been rung on July 4, 1776, it would have been at the Old State House, but the tower was actually in such poor condition that it might have collapsed from the vibration.
  4. 4
    In 1776, the estimated population of the newly independent United States was only 2.5 million people.
  5. 5
    The firework colors are created by heating specific metal salts; for example, strontium creates red and copper creates blue.
  6. 6
    Many assume the Fourth of July commemorates the end of the Revolutionary War, but the war actually continued for seven more years after 1776.
  7. 7
    Americans consume enough hot dogs on the Fourth of July to stretch from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles five times over.
  8. 8
    Three of the first five U.S. presidents died on July 4th: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe.
  9. 9
    The colors of the American flag have meaning: red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity, and blue represents vigilance and justice.
  10. 10
    A common belief is that the Declaration of Independence was signed on a desk; in reality, it was signed on a table that delegates gathered around.
  11. 11
    Fireworks displays are scientifically choreographed using computers to ensure the timing matches the music perfectly.
  12. 12
    The town of Seward, Alaska, hosts a famous Mount Marathon race every July 4th where runners dash up and down a steep mountain.
  13. 13
    The tune for The Star-Spangled Banner was actually taken from an 18th-century British song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
  14. 14
    While the Declaration was signed by 56 men, there was no woman among them, although Mercy Otis Warren wrote pamphlets advocating for independence.
  15. 15
    Every year, the Fourth of July generates over $1 billion in consumer spending just on fireworks.
  16. 16
    Before it became a federal holiday, government employees were not paid for taking the day off on July 4th.
  17. 17
    Independence Day did not become a federal holiday until 1870, nearly 100 years after the document was adopted.
  18. 18
    It is a misconception that the Liberty Bell cracked because it was rung on July 4; the famous crack actually appeared years later.
  19. 19
    Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in just 17 days.
  20. 20
    If you look closely at the back of the $2 bill, you can see a depiction of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence.
  21. 21
    The original copy of the Declaration of Independence is stored in a climate-controlled vault in the National Archives, protected by bulletproof glass and argon gas.
  22. 22
    Many people believe the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on July 4, but it was actually printed and distributed first, with the signing occurring later.
  23. 23
    Fireworks were used by the Chinese centuries ago to ward off evil spirits, a practice that evolved into modern pyrotechnic displays.
  24. 24
    In 1776, there were only about 2.5 million people living in the newly independent United States.
  25. 25
    It is a tradition in Philadelphia to tap the Liberty Bell 13 times every July 4th to honor the original 13 colonies.
  26. 26
    Many people assume that all of the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, but the majority of the delegates did not actually sign the document until August 2 of that same year.
  27. 27
    John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both signers of the Declaration of Independence and future presidents, died on the exact same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the document.
  28. 28
    The Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2, 1776, but John Adams predicted that July 2 would be celebrated with fireworks and parades forever.
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