A little July 4th trivia - Did you know?

For this holiday, I looked up some trivia on Independence Day and thought I would share what I found along with a little bit of history that we may have forgotten amid our daily cares:

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress. Thereafter, the 13 colonies embarked on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation.

Did you know...

The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.

In May 1776, after nearly a year of trying to resolve their differences with England, the colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Finally, in June, admitting that their efforts were hopeless, a committee was formed to compose the formal Declaration of Independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee also included: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston, and Roger Sherman. On June 28, 1776, Thomas Jefferson presented the first draft of the declaration to Congress.

Betsy Ross, according to legend, sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee.

Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, looking to promote national pride and unity, adopted the national flag. "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

The word "patiotism" comes from the Latin "patria," which means "homeland" or "fatherland."

The first public Fourth of July event at the White House occurred in 1804.

Before cars ruled the roadway, the Fourth of July was traditionally the most miserable day of the year for horses, tormented by all the noise, and by the boys and girls who threw firecrackers at them.

The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occured at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.

On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington D.C. to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter that Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote.

Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826.

The 56 signers of the declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. The names of the signers were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect the them. If independence had not been acheived, the treasonalbe act of the signers would have, by law, resulted in their deaths.

Thomas McKean was the last to sign in January, 1777.

The origin of Uncle Sam probaby began in 1812, when Samuel Wilson was a meat packer who provided meat to the US Army. The meat shipments were stamped with the initials, U.S. Someone joked that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam." This joke eventually led to the idea of Uncle Sam symbolizing the United States government.

In 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. It is one of the few federal holidays that have not been moved to the nearest Friday or Monday.

Thirty places nationwide have "Liberty" in their names: Liberty, MO, boasts the highest population, while Iowa has the most places than any other state with four locations: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty, and West Liberty.

Eleven places have "Independence" in their names. The most populous is Independence, MO.

Five places adopted the name "Freedom." Freedom, CA, has the largest population among these.

There is one place named "Patriot." Patriot, IN.

There are 5 places with "America" in their names. American Fork, UT is the most populous.


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." - The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776.