Think You Know Everything About the 4th of July? Learn More About the History Behind the Day When We Celebrate Our Independence.
When people think Fourth of July, they think flags, burgers, dogs and fireworks! We celebrate our independence when an upstart gathering of colonies defeated one of the oldest and most established empires in the history of the world. England's power has stretched all over the world, reaching as far west as India. This was a nation built on imperialism which is one of the reasons the US has tried during several of the world wars to stay out of them. These are a just a couple interesting facts that tie in with our day of independence. This article will focus on more facts you may or may not know about this patriotic holiday.
We'll lead off with the history behind this holiday. The average age of then signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. The youngest was Thomas Lynch Jr at 27 while the oldest was Ben Franklin at the ripe old age of 70. Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the bulk of this document. John Hancock is actually the only person who signed on the 4th of July. All others signed on August 2nd. While Jefferson, who was considered the most persuasive, wrote most of the document, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston all over saw it. While Americans have been celebrating the fourth since 1777, Congress didn't make it an official recognized holiday until nearly a century later in 1870. Ben Franklin also petitioned to have the turkey be the national bird instead of the eagle thinking that a turkey is a more moral bird while an eagle is lazy. Finally, two founding fathers died on the fourth. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the fourth of July.
Another large part of the fourth is the food. It's statistically the highest grilling holiday. 90% of Americans grill on the fourth, followed by Labor Day and their own birthdays which both stand in the 70s. As for what the founding fathers ate on the fourth? It wasn't hamburgers and hotdogs! They would have a meal consisting of turtle soup, poached salmon, green peas and boiled potatoes. For dessert? An Apple Pandowdy which is basically an old timey version of the apple pie. As for what modern day Americans eat? No surprise here, its hot dogs! We eat so many hotdogs on the fourth you could call it National Hot Dog day. This is also why the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place on the fourth. Contestants have 10 minutes to eat as many dogs, buns included, they possibly can. The record holder is Joey Chestnut who sits at a whopping 69 hot dogs! This record he just set in 2013, beating his own record of 68.
There are many other fun and interesting facts associated with Independence Day. For example, July second would be the real day, as that's when Congress voted to approve independence. However it wasn't until two days later that they approved Jefferson's document declaring it. No matter which day we decide to celebrate our independence, it's a great day to remember those that sacrificed so we could be the land of the free and home of the brave!
When people think Fourth of July, they think flags, burgers, dogs and fireworks! We celebrate our independence when an upstart gathering of colonies defeated one of the oldest and most established empires in the history of the world. England's power has stretched all over the world, reaching as far west as India. This was a nation built on imperialism which is one of the reasons the US has tried during several of the world wars to stay out of them. These are a just a couple interesting facts that tie in with our day of independence. This article will focus on more facts you may or may not know about this patriotic holiday.
We'll lead off with the history behind this holiday. The average age of then signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. The youngest was Thomas Lynch Jr at 27 while the oldest was Ben Franklin at the ripe old age of 70. Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the bulk of this document. John Hancock is actually the only person who signed on the 4th of July. All others signed on August 2nd. While Jefferson, who was considered the most persuasive, wrote most of the document, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston all over saw it. While Americans have been celebrating the fourth since 1777, Congress didn't make it an official recognized holiday until nearly a century later in 1870. Ben Franklin also petitioned to have the turkey be the national bird instead of the eagle thinking that a turkey is a more moral bird while an eagle is lazy. Finally, two founding fathers died on the fourth. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on the fourth of July.
Another large part of the fourth is the food. It's statistically the highest grilling holiday. 90% of Americans grill on the fourth, followed by Labor Day and their own birthdays which both stand in the 70s. As for what the founding fathers ate on the fourth? It wasn't hamburgers and hotdogs! They would have a meal consisting of turtle soup, poached salmon, green peas and boiled potatoes. For dessert? An Apple Pandowdy which is basically an old timey version of the apple pie. As for what modern day Americans eat? No surprise here, its hot dogs! We eat so many hotdogs on the fourth you could call it National Hot Dog day. This is also why the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place on the fourth. Contestants have 10 minutes to eat as many dogs, buns included, they possibly can. The record holder is Joey Chestnut who sits at a whopping 69 hot dogs! This record he just set in 2013, beating his own record of 68.
There are many other fun and interesting facts associated with Independence Day. For example, July second would be the real day, as that's when Congress voted to approve independence. However it wasn't until two days later that they approved Jefferson's document declaring it. No matter which day we decide to celebrate our independence, it's a great day to remember those that sacrificed so we could be the land of the free and home of the brave!