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Fourth of July Fun Facts from Knoxweb

Fourth of July

Knoxweb would like to wish everyone a very Happy Fourth of July and has some interesting things to share about America’s Independence Day.

Calvin Coolidge was the only American President who was born on the Fourth of July while three Presidents of the first five U.S. Presidents passed away on Independence Day. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe.

The Continental Congress declared Independence Day on July 2, 1776. All of the signers believed that the day would be celebrated on the second with John Adams refusing to acknowledge the Fourth as the birthday of America as he firmly believed that the new nation was born on 2 July.

Although most consider Yankee Doodle a patriotic song, the British originally sang the song to make fun of the backwoods Americans. However, after the War of Independence the new country turned their back on the mockers by embracing the tune making it their own.

The very first American flag had stars placed in a circle to ensure that every colony was equal. The American flag has been modified 26 times since 1777.

General George Washington marked Independence Day with a double portion of rum for the soldier’s along with an artillery salute. Across the pond, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams held a Fourth of July dinner for Americans in Paris.

Although most believe that Betsy Ross designed the American Flag, it was actually Frances Hopkinson who was also the man responsible for the United States Seal.

The American National Anthem is an old English drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heaven.” The lyrics came from a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 titled, “The Defense of Fort McHenry. The song became the official National Anthem in 1931.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who became American Presidents.

The national bird was originally going to be a wild turkey, proposed by Benjamin Franklin; however, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams who voted for the bald eagle overruled that notion.

The first Fourth of July party at the U.S. White House was back in 1801 when John Adams was the President.

Before Henry Ford came along the Fourth of July was the worst holiday for horses as the loud bangs and explosions scared the poor animals. What made it worse is that kids would throw firecrackers directly at them.

Independence Day is one of the very few federal holidays that hasn’t been moved to the closest Friday or Monday.

Every year Americans spend approximately 250 million on fireworks that have been imported from China.

The majority of patriotic paraphernalia and flags for the Fourth of July are not made in America, but come from Mexico and China.

It is estimated that Americans consume 155 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July with the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog contest starting in 1916 as a way to settle a dispute between four immigrants to decide who was the most patriotic.

This Fourth of July take a moment to remember why we celebrate. Happy Fourth of July from Knoxweb!