Fun Facts about the 4th of July/Independence Day

• Congress made Independence Day an official unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870. In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
• Only John Hancock actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. All the others signed later.
• The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men from 13 colonies.
• The average age of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. The youngest was Thomas Lynch, Jr. (27) of South Carolina. The oldest was Benjamin Franklin (70) of Pennsylvania. The lead author of The Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, was 33.
• One out of eight signers of the Declaration of Independence were educated at Harvard (7 total).
• The only two signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as President of the United States were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
• The stars on the original American flag were in a circle so all the Colonies would appear equal.
• The first Independence Day celebration took place in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. This was also the day that the Declaration of Independence was first read in public after people were summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.
• The White House held its first 4th July party in 1801.
• President 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.
• Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle.
• In 1776, there were 2.5 million people living in the new nation. Today the population of the U.S.A. is 328 million.
• Fifty-nine places in the U.S. contain the word “liberty” in their name. Pennsylvania, with 11, has more of these places than any other state.  
• The most common patriotic-sounding word used within place names is “union” with 136. Pennsylvania, with 33, has more of these places than any other state. Other words most commonly used in place names are Washington (127), Franklin (118), Jackson (96) and Lincoln (95).
• Fireworks are part of the tradition of celebrating this national holiday. The U.S. imported $227.3 million worth of fireworks from China in 2012.
• Barbecue is also big on Independence Day. Approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on this day.
• Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
• The tune of the National Anthem was originally used as an English drinking song called “to Anacreon in Heaven.” The words have nothing to do with consumption of alcohol but the “melody that Francis Key had in mind when he wrote those words did originate decades earlier as the melody for a song that praised of wine."

 Liberty Bell