- Because fun facts are good at anytime.
Did you read July 4th Fun Facts For The Upcoming Holiday? Because this is more of that.
- As of 1776, there were only about 2.5 million people living in the United States, which is crazy considered there are about 332 million people that live in this country today.
- The Liberty Bell hasn’t rang since 1846, when the major crack appeared on the bell.
- New England tradition is to eat salmon for the 4th of July.
- The 50th and final star was added to the flag on July 4th, 1960.
- An estimated 15,600 people were hospitalized in 2020 after fireworks-related injuries!
- Some copies of the Declaration of Independence have a woman’s signature on it and it belongs to Mary Katherine Goddard. However, she didn’t sign in 1776 but it was when the printer and publisher got a hold of the document that they added her name to it after she was hired by Congress to print the copies.
- American president Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th, 1872.
- For years, it was thought that keeping your business open on the 4th of July was disrespectful. That changed after the war when storeowners began to have patriotic sales for the 4th of July.
- John Adams thought that Independence Day should be celebrated on the 2nd of July as the country was declared free from Great Britain on July 2nd, 1776. There wasn’t public knowledge at the time though and it wasn’t published until July 4th.
- There are 31 towns throughout the United States that have the word liberty in them and the largest of them is Liberty, Missouri, with a total population of 32,865.
- It took about 100 years before July 4th was recognized as an official holiday.
- Independence Day was once celebrated on Monday July 5th when the holiday fell on a Sunday in 1779.
- Americans spend well over $1 billion on fireworks every
year for the 4th of July. - Three former presidents have died on the 4th of July, James Monroe, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
- Hawaii was the 50th state to be admitted into the United States and it was on the 4th of July.
- There are about 16,000 fireworks displays that take place each year for the holiday and this custom dates back to 1777.
- Even in the middle of the war, George Washington celebrated the 4th of July in 1778. He treated fellow soldiers to a double ration of rum and a cannon salute.
- Countries like Denmark, England, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden are known for celebrating the United States 4th of July.
- The Star-Spangled Banner wasn’t the national Anthem in the United States until 1931, a full 117 years after the words were written in 1814 by Francis Key Scott.
- A little known fact is that only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. Besides John Hancock and Charles Thompson, the rest of the delegates signed in the following weeks.
- Americans eat about 150 million hot dogs on July 4th. Residents of the city of LA alone consume about 30 million pounds!
- John Adams had always thought that Independence Day would continue on as a grand celebration. He wrote to his wife Abigail that the day should be filled with games, sports, parades, and laughter.
Did you know these facts about the 4th? Let me know in the comments or share something about your holiday weekend!