4th of July Trivia: What Do You Know?

Posted: July 4, 2017/Under: Uncategorized/By: Jenee Koci

Fun facts about the 4th of July:

Trivia about Independence Day, and the 4th of July 1776

1776 was an important year for the thirteen colonies. They were about to declare their independence from England. The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress in this year. And this American holiday is celebrated every year on the 4th of July.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE 4th OF JULY:

The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. Most importantly the colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.
Betsy Ross, according to legend, sewed the first American flag in May or June 1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee.
Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.
June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress, looked to promote national pride and unity, by adopting the national flag. “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
The first public Fourth of July event at the White House occurred in 1804.
The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occurred at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826.
The origin of Uncle Sam probably began in 1812, when Samuel Wilson, a meat packer, provided meat to the US Army. The meat shipments were stamped with the initials U.S. Someone joked that the initials stood for “Uncle Sam”. Because of this the joke eventually led to the idea of Uncle Sam symbolizing the United States government.
In 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. It is one of the few federal holidays that have not been moved to the nearest Friday or Monday.