Happy 4th of July!

The United States is preparing to celebrate the 238^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document signed by the thirteen American colonies announcing the newly independent sovereign state, the United States of America. Did you know the Declaration of Independence was actually approved on July 2, 1776, but a couple edits were made and the final copy was approved for printing on July 4^th which is why, July 4th has become America’s Independence Day. Here are some other facts and figures you may not know about the 4^th of July…

• Three U.S. Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on July 4^th. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other in 1826, while Monroe passed away in 1831.
• Two of the signers went on to become President of the United States: John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third president).
• The most famous signature on the Declaration of Independence is John Hancock. His signature “John Hancock” is now a synonym for signature in the U.S.
• The youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence was Edward Rutledge (age 26). The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin (age 70).

Now on to the Fun Stuff!

• The APA anticipated $675 MILLION DOLLARS will be spent for the 2014 fireworks season!
• The LARGEST fireworks display of all time was in Dubai this year during their New Years celebration. The fireworks covered a distance of over 94km! It took 10 MONTHS to plan and over 500,000 fireworks were used during the display that lasted 6 minutes!
•  The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates 150 MILLION hot dogs will be consumed on the 4^th of July alone.
• That means on July 4^th consumers will spend approximately $308 MILLION dollars on hot dogs in a single day!
• If you find yourself in New York on the 4^th make sure to catch the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile!

Besides the USA, who celebrates the 4^th of July?

• The Philippines celebrate the 4^th of July! It is known as Republic Day OR Filipino-American Friendship Day, a day to commemorate the official recognition of Philippine independence by the United States of America.
• Rwanda celebrates the 4^th of July! Officially known as Liberation Day, a day to commemorate the end of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
• Denmark celebrates the 4^th of July! It is said Denmark’s National Parks have the largest 4^th of July celebrations outside the US.

…And now you know!

Happy 4^th of July!