Fantastic facts about the Fourth of July
A woman proudly waves an American flag at last year’s citizenship ceremony in Kinston. This year’s ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. at Kinston’s Harmony Hall, 109 E. King St., on Thursday. Photo by Linda Whittington / Neuse News
Freedom, fireworks and hot dogs — the biggest celebration in America has everyone donning their patriotic colors, waving flags, giving thanks and partaking in their own traditions to honor our nation’s independence.
Fifty-six founding fathers put pen to paper and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776; every year we celebrate that great feat.
In honor of the occasion, here are a few facts you might not know about this holiday.
HISTORY
John Adams refused to celebrate July 4. He believed America’s liberation officially occurred on July 2 when Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence
John Hancock was the first to sign the document and his signature was the largest and most stylish. Since then, he’s become a catchphrase with the words “John Hancock” meaning “signature” as in “We’ll need your John Hancock”
It’s only fitting that several United States presidents have died on this day. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both of whom also signed the Declaration, died on the 50th anniversary of Independence Day — within hours of each other, actually. James Monroe died five years later.
Though he wasn’t president, Jesse Helms was a well-known U.S. Senator from North Carolina who died on July 4, 2008
The Declaration of Independence granted 13 states independence: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina
In 1870, Congress voted July 4 as a federal holiday
Hello, World!
FOOD AND FIREWORKS
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council reports 150 million hot dogs are consumed on July 4. That’s enough to stretch between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. more than five times
More beer is consumed on July 4 than any other day of the year. Americans spend $1.6 billion on beer and wine
More than 47 million Americans will hit the road this holiday
Americans spend $6.8 billion on cookouts
According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend $1 billion on fireworks which equates in weight to 268 million pounds of fireworks
