4th of July fun facts and trivia:
Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national animal but was outvoted when John Adams and Thomas Jefferson chose the bald eagle.
Over an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed today. That's roughly 1 dog for every two people in the U.S.
Oddly, the majority of the nation's flags and patriotic paraphernalia in relation to the 4th of July is produced in China. Nearly $349 million dollars are used each year to import in the flags, banners, decorations, and emblems.
The first 4th of July party held at the White House was in 1801.
The 4th of July was not declared a national holiday until 1941.
The national anthem is actually set to the tune of an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The other 55 signers did not sign it until August 2nd or even later.
The youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence was 26-year-old Edward Rutledge. The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin. He was 70. Most of the signers were in their 30s and 40s.
When the United States became a country, there were approximately 2.5 million people living in the country. Today the population is around 304 million.
Bristol, Rhode Island has the oldest, continuous 4th of July celebration dating back to 1785.
The following events happened on July 4th:
Three U.S. presidents have died on July 4th. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the singing of the Declaration of Independence. Five years later, James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published on this date in 1865.
Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on the 4th of July. He was born in 1872.
Ann Landers and twin sister Abigail VanBuren, both advice columnists, were born on July 4, 1918.
Marie Curie, the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes and the only person to win two in two different science fields, died on July 4, 1934.
Sources: yumsugar.com, helium.com
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