The Fourth of July was not declared a national holiday until 1941.
Malia Obama, George Steinbrenner, Neil Simon, Ron Kovic and Calvin Coolidge were all born on the Fourth of July.
These events occurred on the Fourth of July: Henry David Thoreau moved into his shack on Walden Pond (1845); the U.S. air offensive against Nazi, Germany, began (1942); Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts (1964); Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act (1966).
Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who wanted the bald eagle.
The number of Americans who will spend the holiday at other people’s homes is approximately 41 million.
The first official Fourth of July party was held at the White House in 1801.
Approximately 150 million hot dogs are consumed on this day.
Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth. Adams and Jefferson died on the same day within hours of each other in 1826.
The percentage of American homes with an outdoor grill is 87 percent.
The song “Yankee Doodle” was sung originally by British officers making fun of backwoods Americans.
The amount of chicken purchased the week before the holiday is 700 million pounds.
The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men from 13 colonies.• There are more than 30 towns nationwide that have the word “Liberty” in their names.The word patriotism comes from the Latin patria, which means homeland or fatherland.Before cars ruled the roadway, the Fourth of July was traditionally the most miserable day of the year for horses, tormented by all the noise and by the boys and girls who threw firecrackers at them.
Thirty places nationwide with “liberty” in their name.Why fireworks on the Fourth of July? Fireworks have been used to celebrate special occasions for sometime, even before the American Revolution. Our founding father’s even believed in celebrating our independence with fireworks. In a famous letter John Adams wrote to his wife, he states how the holiday deserves to be celebrated with “illuminations” or fireworks. “The day will be most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”