Fourth of July Facts
Each year at the beginning of July, Americans don their red, white, and blue in celebration of the United States’ declaration of independence from England.
While we might be able to take a guess at how much money Americans spend on fireworks each year or how many hot dogs we eat, there is a handful of other Fourth of July facts and figures that would surprise you.
- The oldest Independence Day parade in America takes place in Bristol, Rhode Island, which began in 1785.
- Three former US presidents died on July 4th—Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe.
- July 2nd is technically the day that America declared official independence from England, but we celebrate on July 4th because that is when the declaration was first signed.
- The design of the American flag has changed 27 times over the course of the nation’s history.
- The 4th of July wasn’t made a national holiday until almost 100 years after the country’s founding.
- Watermelon is the most popular fruit consumed by Americans and Americans will spend more than $150 million on it for the holiday.
- The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first paper in the country to publish the official Declaration of Independence.
- Only two presidents actually signed a declaration on July 4th—John Hancock and Charles Thompson.
- The first year that fireworks were used during a 4th of July celebration was in 1777 when they were set off over Philadelphia
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