July 4th Trivia Bits

Some interesting trivia tidbits about Independence Day.......

• While Americans have celebrated Independence Day on July 4th for as long as we can remember, most historians have concluded that Declaration of Independence was actually signed on August 2nd.
• Three of the first five Presidents died on the 4th of July: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Adams and Jefferson died a few hours apart in 1826.
• The lone President to be born on the 4th of July was Calvin Coolidge
• The 4th of July became a national holiday in 1870. It became a paid federal holiday in 1938.
• When America declared it's independence in 1776, the estimated population was 2.5 million. Today the population is about 316 million
• On July 4, 1946, the Philippines declared it's independence from the United States
• The three colors of the American flag have significant meaning. The red represents hardiness and valor. The white symbolizes purity and innocence. And the blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice.
• It is believed that more hot dogs are eaten on July 4th than any other day of the year. It is estimated that 155 million franks will be consumed today.
• Ben Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence at 70. Edward Rutledge was the youngest at the age of 26.
• The initial adoption of the Declaration of Independence was on July 2. It was revised two days later.
• Debating our national symbol, Ben Franklin opposed the idea of the bald eagle. He argued that the eagle was a bird of "bad moral character and does not get his living honestly". Franklin thought that the turkey be a better symbol. In the end, he lost out to John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom preferred the bald eagle
• On July 4th, the Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times to represent the 13 original colonies
• The US imports over $200 million worth of fireworks each year from China
• The tune of The Star Spangled Banner was originally used as an old English drinking song.
• American spend over $200 on condiments for 4th of July parties
• Almost 70 million cases of beer are sold for July 4th celebrations

Wishing all of my fellow Americans a safe and happy holiday. Please keep the men and women of the US military in your thoughts as you celebrate the day....

Happy birthday America!

kw