After 247 years, it’s not surprising that there is a lot of history attached to the Fourth of July.
Here is a little trivia about Independence Day and a thought on what is really important as we celebrate the birth of our nation.
An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776, or a little over one-third of the number of Massachusetts residents. As of July 2021, about 331.8 million people call themselves Americans.
Three presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence died on July 4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the lead authors, both famously died on July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.
James Monroe died five years later, on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the Fourth of July.
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to publish the Declaration, on July 6, 1776, after a local printer named John Dunlap produced copies of the document’s manuscript.
The Liberty Bell rings 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states. Descendants of the Founders who signed the Declaration tap the bell at 2 p.m. every Fourth of July.
The very first Fourth of July fireworks display took place in Philadelphia in 1777. Fireworks, cannons and bells all went off to honor the 13 original states. Much like modern celebrations, they even had a dinner and parade for the Declaration’s first anniversary.
U.S. soldiers got a special treat on the Fourth in 1778. George Washington helped the troops celebrate by allowing them a double ration of rum.
Independence Day didn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.
Americans spend over $1 billion on fireworks every year. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, the numbers continue to go up every year. The biggest celebration is the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks show, which takes over 8,000 hours to prepare.
Americans eat around 150 million hot dogs each Independence Day.
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, which they call peak hot dog season, Americans consume around 7 billion hot dogs. That means that 818 are being consumed every second. Producers estimate that during July, which is designated National Hot Dog Month, 10 percent of annual retail hot dog sales occur.
What’s actually important is that the Founding Fathers took the courageous step of breaking free from the mighty British Empire while launching a bold experiment in democracy that has survived 247 years and counting.
As historian David McCullough wrote, “in Philadelphia in the year 1776 a momentous, high-minded statement of far-reaching consequence was committed to paper. It was not the decree of a king or a sultan or emperor or czar, or something enacted by a far-distant parliament. It was a declaration of political faith and brave intent freely arrived at by an American congress. And that was something entirely new under the sun.”