10 Things You Might NOT Know About the 4th of July

Happy July 4th Weekend!

Here are some fun facts about Independence Day you might not already know.

1.  The Declaration wasn’t signed on July 4, or in July at all. The final version was signed on August 2nd. 

2.  The first celebrations weren’t much different from today’s. Ringing bells, fireworks, thirteen rockets, ships decked out in the red, white and blue.

3.  Eating salmon on the 4th is a tradition in New England.  In the middle of summer, salmon was in abundance and somehow got lumped into the 4th and has stayed that way (even with the decline of Atlantic salmon.)  

4.  Massachusetts was the first state to recognize the holiday.     

5.  The oldest annual 4th celebration is held in Bristol, Rhode Island.  The residents now begin to celebrate on Flag Day, June 15th, all the way through the 4th with cavalcades of parades, live music, food, and what-have-you activities.

6.  The shortest parade is in Aptos, California.  A little over half a mile long, two city blocks, just 0.6 miles. 

7.  There are around 15,000 fireworks celebrations every year. 

8.  We’ll eat an obscene amount of hot dogs. Around 150 million, or more. 

9.  We’ll spend billions on food.  Around $7.1 billion. And then comes booze. About $1 billion on beer, more than $450 million on wine.  

10.  Three Presidents have died, and one was born, on the 4th. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th. 

Wishing you a safe, fun, and celebratory July Fourth Weekend! More tomorrow!