Raymond Alen
Every year on the fourth of July we celebrate Independence Day. Very few people know that it is much more than just a regular party with BBQ and fireworks. Back in 1776, after many years of confrontations, the United States of America finally declared independence from Great Britain by signing the Declaration of Independence. But that’s a bit boring, let’s discover some funny and surprising facts related to this event that we were not taught at school.
We bet you didn’t know that actually John Hancock was the only one who signed the Declaration on the 4th of July. The rest of the group signed it a bit later.- Initially, the national bird could be a turkey! Can you imagine it now? Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers, suggested this idea. Fortunately, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson came up with an image of the bald eagle. That is truly a freedom-loving and graceful animal!
- The first official celebration of Independence Day in the White House happened only in 1801. Interesting!
- The Declaration of Independence had been signed by 56 representatives of 13 colonies but only 2 of them became presidents later. Can you guess who? Right! John Adams, the second president of the newly-formed United States, and Thomas Jefferson, who led the country after Adams.
- It’s also interesting to point out that the youngest signer of the Declaration was Thomas Lynch, Jr; he was only 27 at that time, while the oldest was Benjamin Franklin; he was already 70 years old back then.
- Few people know but the stars on the original flag were arranged in a circle and not lines, as it is now. The idea behind this was to reflect the unity of all former colonies which became the independent states.
- Have you ever wondered why the celebration necessarily includes fireworks? That is because originally on the first anniversary of the signature of the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers set up fireworks in the sky to mark the creation of the new nation.
- The 30th president, Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872. What a surprising coincidence, isn’t it?
- As you know, barbeque is a vital part of the celebration. But could you imagine that we eat nearly 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken in one day? That is totally surprising!
- And the most astonishing fact comes the last. Did you know that the phrase “Sign your John Hancock” comes from a real guy with such a name? Moreover, he also was among the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
