Happy 4th of July!
• Initially the 4th July was adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, the revised version of the Declaration of Independence was not adopted until two days later.
• The average age of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at age 70, and Edward Rutledge was the youngest at age 26.
• The “Star Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812 and not decreed the official national anthem of the United States until 1931.
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson are responsible for the bald eagle as the national bird; Benjamin Franklin wanted it to be the turkey.
• Three U.S. Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, died on July 4th; Adams and Jefferson died within hours of each other in 1826 while Monroe died in 1831.
• Americans consume about 155 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone; it is the biggest hot dog holiday of the year.
• The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) estimates that more than 14,000 professional firework displays light up the skies in the United States each 4th of July.
Have a fun and safe 4th of July!