As you celebrate this holiday, toss a few of these trivia facts out to amaze your family and friends.
1. Initially adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, the revised version of the Declaration of Independence was not adopted until two days later.
2. The first Independence Day celebration took place in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. This was also the day that the Declaration of Independence was first read in public after people were summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.
3. Three U.S. Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, died on July 4th; Adams and Jefferson died within hours of each other in 1826 while Monroe died in 1831.
4. The country’s 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on Independence Day in 1872.
5. Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
6. Americans consume about 155 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone; it is the biggest hot dog holiday of the year.
7. Americans began observing the Fourth of July as early as 1777, when the first-ever major celebration in Philadelphia included a parade and a thirteen-shot cannon salute and fireworks.
8. The average age of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at age 70, and Edward Rutledge was the youngest at age 26.
9. Only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776 — John Hancock and Charles Thompson
10. The only two signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as President of the United States were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
11. Several countries have used the Declaration of Independence as a beacon in their own struggles for freedom. These countries include France Greece, Poland, Russia and many countries in South America
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