10 Surprising Facts About The 4th of July

Facts about 4th of July you probably didn’t know such as:

The 4th of July didn’t become a federal holiday until 1970.

1. We eat burgers and hot dogs on the 4th of July these days, but John Adams and his wife celebrated with turtle soup. New Englanders enjoyed poached salmon with egg sauce, green peas and boiled potatoes for their 4th of July meal in 1776.

2. China makes the majority of American flags — approximately $3.3 million worth each year.

3. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the United States’ national bird, but John Adams and Thomas Jefferson recommended the bald eagle, which won the title.

4. Three presidents have died on the 4th of July: Founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. They were the only signers of the Declaration who also became president. James Monroe died a few years later on July 4, 1831.

5. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, was born on July 4, 1872.

6. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration on July 6, 1776. Most of the signers of the Declaration originally signed the document on August 2, 1776 tho.

7. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men.
John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. He was president of Congress at the time.

8. John Adams thought Independence Day should be celebrated on July 2 because that’s the day the Continental Congress officially declared its freedom from Great Britain.

9. Americans eat approximately 150 million hot dogs on the 4th of July. That’s enough to stretch from D.C. to Los Angeles more than five times.

10. The song “Yankee Doodle” was originally sung by the British army to make fun of Americans. View My Yankee Doodle Tribute Page

More 4th of July Facts