10 Fun Facts You Should Know About July 4th
Independence Day (now celebrated as July 4th) honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Liberty Bell, Philadelphia PA
The Declaration of Independence was actually a letter to King George that had been written on July 2 by Thomas Jefferson. It was a formal explanation of why the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. It was meant to justify a revolt against the British, with a list of charges against the British king.
- The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
- The first Fourth of July party was held at the White House in 1801.
- In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees but it wasn’t until 1941, that the Fourth of July was declared a national holiday and also a paid Federal holiday.
- The stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were represented equally.
- Three U.S. presidents have died on July 4th: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826 who passed away hours within of each other and James Monroe who died on July 4, 1831.
- Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on the 4th of July.
- John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.
- 70 year old, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- Pennsylvania is the state with the most signatories of the Declaration.
- The Declaration is kept at the National Archives in Washington, DC as is the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, the 18th-century home of Mary Young Pickersgill
Visiting Philadelphia, check out the Betsy Ross House, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, and enjoy ice cream at the Franklin Fountain.
How will you celebrate the July 4th holiday?
I didn’t realize that there was so much history wrapped up in July 4th. Independence, obviously, but I didn’t know about the presidents who were born and died on July 4th. Happy Independence Day! We’re Canadian, but my hubby plans on celebrating it along with you by watching the Will Smith movie, lol!
I had no idea that all these happened on July 4. I mean, I know about the independence, but I didn’t know about the others.
This is such an interesting post, thank you. Being British, in the UK, I know the 4th July is a very important day for America – but didn’t know all this. Kaz x
I don’t know why I find it so interesting that three residents died and one was born on the 4th
Thanks for sharing! It’s always fun to learn more about the holidays we celebrate but tend to forget the details about.
I’ve been traveling over the last week, so I’m actually going to enjoy the holiday at home doing a whole lot of nothing. I may cook out though!
Omg that’s crazy that three presidents have died on the fourth! I had no clue about that one and I was a history major in college lol. Cool fact!
This is a great post I will be sharing tomorrow with the kids and guests. Thank you for sharing!
Oh wow, I never knew most of this! I’m going to have to share this with my husband, he’ll really get a kick out of it! 🙂
These is really cool information to know, I did not even know some presidents had died some born on 4th of july. Happy 4th to all.
This is awesome information about the Deceleration of Independence. I didn’t know all that about the presidents or if I did I had forgotten. I am going to spend the 4th with my family. My sister, her husband, and my lil nephew Mason who is only 10 1/2 months old, cam home for the holiday. Yeah!!! Thanks for sharing.
Fun facts! I have always really enjoyed history, and it doesn’t get much more historic around here than Independence Day. Yard work today, fireworks tonight!
As an Irish person who didn’t really know any of these facts before it was great to learn something new, so thank you. I hope you had an amazing time celebrating the 4th of July 🙂
We went to my sister’s house and had a barbecue. It was a great time with friends and family and amazing food and drinks.
This was such an informative post, with lots of facts I defininetly wasn’t aware of. Knowing that 3 presidents died that day is honestly kind of a creepy story.