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July 10, 2018Fun facts about America’s Independence Day
For many, the Fourth of July is all about family, fireworks, cookouts and fun. But, it’s also about history as it commemorates the 13 original colonies’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from Great Britain.
Did you know that a total of 56 men from the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence, although John Hancock was the only one who actually signed it on July 4, 1776? Everyone else signed it later. The youngest among them was Thomas Lynch, Jr. who was 27 years old. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at age 70.
Two signers later went on to serve as President of the United States: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They both died on the same day – July 4, 1826.
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on a “laptop,” which is what they called writing desk that could fit on a lap. After he drafted it, he changed the wording from the “Pursuit of Property” to the “Pursuit of Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence was read in public for the first time as part of the first Independence Day celebration in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. The White House held its first July 4th party for the first time in 1801. The oldest continuous Independence Day celebration is the 4th of July Parade in Bristol, RI’s which began in 1785.
In 1870, Congress declared Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees (along with Christmas), and in 1938, Congress changed it to a paid holiday.
The population of the new nation in 1776 was five million. Today, there are over 326 million people living in the United States.
Many of those people eat hot dogs or chicken on the 4th of July. In fact, 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on this day.
And let’s not forget about the fireworks. The first time fireworks were part of the Independence Day celebration was in 1777 in Philadelphia. Today, they are a well-established part of 4th of July celebrations throughout the country, although a majority of fireworks are actually imported to the U.S. from China.
Wherever and however you celebrate, all of us at Caveo Insurance hope you have a safe and wonderful July 4th holiday!
Some information obtained for this article was compiled from ACEI Global https://acei-global.blog/2013/07/03/20-fun-facts-about-the-4th-of-julyindependence-day/
