Interesting facts about the Independence day
- Independence Day should have been celebrated on July 2, 1776. Although the document was dated July 4, congress actually voted for independence from Great Britain two days prior on July 2, 1776. It apparently wasn’t signed by everyone until August 2, 1776.
- It didn't become a federal holiday until 1870. It took nearly 100 years for it to be recognized as such, but when it finally happened it was up in the ranks with Christmas and a few other holidays.
- Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but he was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle as it symbolizes freedom.
- An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776. As of July 2017, about 325.7 million people live in the U.S., according to the United States Census.
- The Liberty Bell rings 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states.Descendants of people who signed the Declaration of Independence tap the bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2 p.m. eastern time every 4th of July.
- The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both signed in Philadelphia. The Constitution was signed in September of 1787, a little over 11 years after the Declaration of Independence. While both are important to U.S. history, they are totally separate documents with different meanings.
- Americans expected to eat 150 million hot dogs on July 4.
Comments