Happy 4th of July

Surprising Facts You May Not Have Known about the Fourth of July

Backyard barbecues. Fireworks. Red, white, and blue. These are some of the images associated with the central American holiday of Independence Day, or Fourth of July—but how much do you really know about this fundamental day in U.S. history? Check out these little-known facts!

• While July 4, 1776 is commonly recognized as the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed, only two people signed it that day: John Hancock and Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress. Many others signed it on August 2.
• Two of the founding fathers—John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—both died on July 4, 1826, fifty years after the original Independence Day.
• Although Americans started celebrating the Fourth of July with parades and fireworks as early as 1777, the holiday was not federally recognized until 1870.
• Several other countries, including (ironically) England, Denmark, Norway, and Portugal, celebrate Fourth of July because so many of their citizens live in the U.S.—or perhaps because they are trying to attract American tourists.
• The Philippines and Rwanda also celebrate their independence on July 4. The U.S. officially recognized the Philippines as an independent state on July 4, 1946, and the country now celebrates “Republic Day” on that date. Rwandans recognize “Liberation Day” on July 4 as a way to commemorate the 1994 end of the Rwandan Genocide and the beginning of their new government.
• Hot dogs have become an iconic Fourth of July snack, with Americans consuming an estimated 155 million of them each Independence Day. Despite their patriotic association, American-style hot dogs likely originated from the European sausages that butchers of various nationalities brought to this country. In 1776, however, celebratory foods were quite different than they are today. On the country’s first Independence Day, John Adams and his wife, Abigail, allegedly enjoyed a festive meal of turtle soup, New England poached salmon, and Native American pudding.