Independence Day
The 4th of July is the day we celebrate America’s Independence from British Rule. We all like to celebrate, but there are probably some interesting things about July 4th that you might not know.
Surprise your friends this holiday with these little facts about our Independence Day.
1. July 4, 1826 is the date both Jefferson and John Adams passed away. James Madison also died on the July 4th date. One President was born on this date- Calvin Coolidge on 7/4/1872.
2. The only two men that actually signed the Declaration on 7/4/1776 were Charles Thompson and John Hancock. The youngest person to sign the Declaration of Independence was only 27, Jefferson was 33, and the oldest was Ben Franklin at age 70. 7 signers were alumni of Harvard University.
3. The original draft by Jefferson was lost and the actual signed Declaration of Independence is called the “engrossed” document. The printed versions of the Declaration were called the Dunlap Broadside. 200 of these were printed, but only 27 are known to still exist today.
4. Many other countries used our Declaration to assist them in coming up with their own. Some of these include Poland, Russia, various South American countries, and Greece.
5. Although Americans like to sing “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, it was actually sung by British officers to mock the ‘Yankees”.
6. The population in America in 1776 was only 2.5 million, compared to over 317 million today.
7. Hot Dogs are the most popular food eaten on the 4th of July- around 150 million! Sounds better than the turtle soup the Founder’s probably had at their celebratory meal.
8. Rwanda and the Philippines celebrate liberation days on July 4th. It is Republic Day in Southeast Asia.
9. Independence Day was first celebrated at the White House in 1801.
10. Bristol, Rhode Island has had an Independence Day celebration continuously since 1785, making it the oldest one in the U.S.
We should be proud of our history and our celebrations on July 4th, but it is fun to learn some facts about the 4th of July that most people don’t know. Enjoy the fireworks and Hot Dogs!
Can you believe Independence Day is just around the corner already?! WOW! The year has flown by so fast.
This is one of my favorite Holidays! I can’t believe it is almost here.
Great to know! I’m in Canada so while writing up a recipe for the 4th I had to check out some facts! Very cool!
#5 was actually a part of our home school curriculum!! 🙂 But the rest … yeah, not sure I’ve ever heard them before.
These are some really interesting facts about Independence Day. It’s nice to know a little more about the background.
Those are some interesting facts. I love 4th of July. Family, Friends and Fun. Can’t wait for this one to come around.
Thanks for sharing these interesting facts about the Fourth of July. That is a lot of hot dogs for sure.
Some great facts that I was unaware of. Thanks for digging up these facts to share with us!