I love Fourth of July!  It is one of my favorite holidays.  It speaks to all parts of me – the kid who loves to swim and eat watermelon while watching fireworks; the mom who loves to watch her kids run relays, play football, and practice their cannonballs off the diving board; and the young legal geek who loved to study government documents, and then went on to have a career as a prosecutor, legislative attorney, and then campaign manager – I couldn’t get enough!

So, in honor of this spectacular holiday, here is a Fourth of July Fact Roundup.

1.   John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the 50th Anniversery of the Declaration of Independence.

2.  John Adams’ last words were, “At least Jefferson lives,” but Jefferson had actually died earlier and word had not yet reached Adams.

3.  John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration on July 4th. The rest did not sign until August 2nd.

4.  Technically, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, the United States was already independent, as the Second Continental Congress has already approved a resolution on July 2nd.  The Declaration was the symbolic documentation.

5.  In 1998, someone bought an old painting for $4.00 and found an original copy of the Declaration of Independence tucked behind it.

6.  The 4th of July did not become a legal holiday until 1941.

7.  In 2010, 150 million hot dogs were eaten over the 4th of July weekend.

8.  There are actually words on the back of the Declaration of Independence:  “Original Declaration of Independence, dated 4th July 1776”.

9.  Of the 200 copies of the original Declaration made, only 26 are known to still exist.

10.  The “United States of America” was not the country’s official name until the Constitution was adopted in 1787, and was ratified in 1789.

Have a Fabulous Fourth!  And thank you to all our men and women in uniform who protect our freedom every day!

Tagged as: continental congress, fourth of july, independence day, red white and blue, soldiers. adams