10 Fun Facts About the 4th of July

July 4, 2020

1. Only John Hancock actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. All the others signed later.

2. Thomas Lynch, Jr was the youngest person to sign the Declaration of Independence at just 27 years old.

3. The stars on the original American flag were in a circle so all the Colonies would appear equal.

4. The first Independence Day celebration did not take place on July 4th. July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia was the day the Declaration of Independence was first read in public after people were summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell and marked the first Independence Day celebration.

5. In 1776, there were 2.5 million people living in the new nation. Today the population of the U.S.A. is 316 million.

6. The vast majority of U.S. flags are made in China.

7. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual Independence Day survey, $6.9 billion will be spent on just food.

8. The word patriotism comes from the Latin patria, which means  homeland or fatherland.

9. Three presidents died on Independence Day, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died July 4, 1826 and James Monroe died July 4, 1831.

10. Each year Americans light about 200 million pounds of fireworks! And most of them are imported from China – $247,100,000 worth.