Editor's note: The information in this article came from Purple Trail, Yum Sugar, Long Island Press and Today I Found Out.
As we look forward to fireworks and barbecues this 4th of July, here are some fun facts Santa Cruzans may or may not have known:
- Although today is celebrated on July 4th, 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 the statement.
- The names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect the signers. If independence had not been achieved, the treasonable act of the signers would have, by law, resulted in their deaths.
- The 4th of July recognizes when our founding fathers declared their independence from British tyranny.
- The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.
- The national anthem is actually set to the tune of an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
- The stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were equal.
- The 4th of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the U.S. The town has thrown the celebration every year since 1785.
- Two of America’s greatest national symbols were made overseas: The Liberty Bell was cast in England, and the Statue of Liberty was crafted in France.
- Three Presidents have died on July 4th. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, which is also the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. James Monroe died five years later in 1831. In contrast, former president Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th.
- The 4th of July was not declared a national holiday until 1941.
- The words “Under God” were not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until the year 1954, even though the pledge was formally adopted by Congress three years prior in 1942.
- The 4th of July is also Rwanda’s Independence Day. It is also the day the Philippines gained their independence from America.
- Over an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed today. That's roughly one dog for every two people in the U.S.
- There is more than a one-in-four chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages enjoyed on the 4th of July are from Iowa. As of March 1, 2011, the state was home to 19 million hogs and pigs—more than one-fourth of the nation’s estimated total.
- The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota is over one in three. The state produced 36 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2010.
- The 4th of July is the biggest beer-selling holiday of the year. The other top five beer-selling occasions, in order, are Labor Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.
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