Some Interesting and Fun Facts You May Not Have Known About the USA's Independence Day and Our Founding Fathers

And before you go and enjoy the holiday celebration, here are some interesting and fun facts you might not have known about Independence Day and our founding fathers:

• Congress made Independence Day an official unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870. In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
• Only John Hancock and Charles Thomson actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. All the others signed later.
• One out of eight signers of the Declaration of Independence were educated at Harvard (7 total).
• The only two signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as President of the United States were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who were also two of the people delegated with the responsibility of drafting the Declaration of Independence.
• The stars on the original American flag were in a circle so all the Colonies would appear equal.
• The first Independence Day celebration actually took place in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. This was also the day that the Declaration of Independence was first read in public after people were summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.
• The very first 4th of July fireworks show took place in Philadelphia in 1777.
• On July 4, 1778, George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for his soldiers to celebrate the holiday.
• President John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July. Adams and Jefferson (both who signed the Declaration) died on the same day within hours of each other in 1826.
• Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle.
• "Yankee Doodle," a popular American patriotic song, was originally sung prior to the Revolution by British military officers in mockery of the unorganized and buckskin-wearing “Yankees.”
• Fireworks have been a major part of Fourth of July since the earliest celebrations. In 1884, miners blew up the post office in Swan, Colorado, because it wasn't supplied with fireworks.
• Barbecue is big on Independence Day. Approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on this day.
• Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
• The oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States is the 4th of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island; it began in 1785.

Have a wonderful July 4th holiday weekend and celebrate safely!