No one knows how our Founding Fathers would feel about the way we celebrate the 4th of July today.
However, we do know that John Adams, in a letter written to his wife, stated that he desired
“bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other”.
There are almost as many fun facts surrounding the celebration and history of the birth of our country as there are firework displays.
Listed below are a few for your enjoyment:
- Many historians believe that we have been celebrating our Independence Day on the wrong day. According to many resources including “How Stuff Works”, the 2nd Continental Congress officially approved the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. July 4th was the date that the document was first printed.
- John Adams was the only delegate who supported celebrating our independence on the 2nd. The remaining delegates disagreed and decided on the 4th.
- On July 4, 1776, only 2 men signed the Declaration of Independence- John Hancock & Charles Thompson. The other 54 delegates signed over the course of the following weeks.
- The Declaration was written on a “laptop”. Thomas Jefferson drafted the document upon a writing desk that fit on his lap- which is 1776, was called a “laptop”.
- The average age of the delegates was 45, with the youngest being 26 and the oldest, Ben Franklin who was 70 years old.
- The 4th of July was not deemed a Federal Holiday until 1870. It was an unpaid holiday until 1938.
- Fireworks have been an American tradition in the 4th of July celebration since 1777.
- The 13 stars on the original American flag were designed in a circle to designate that all of the colonies were equal.
- The Liberty Bell is “tapped” 13 times every 4th, to honor our 13 original colonies.
- There will be 6.78 billion dollars spent on food – which averages approximately $73.33 per person.
- Only 10% of all fireworks will be set off professionally.
- On the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration (July 4, 1826), Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died within 5 hours of each other.
- The original flag wasn’t completed until 1777. Since, there have been 27 different versions of the flag- with each subsequent version made to represent the addition of states.
- The last version of the flag (with 50 stars), was released on July 4, 1960, when Hawaii became a state.
- There will be one billion dollars spent on just beer alone.
John Adams predicted and hoped that this day “..be celebrated by succeeding generations as a great anniversary festival.”
We at CEBC believe that he would be proud to know that the celebrations remain and continue.
We hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th! 🇺🇸🎆
