Five Little-Known Facts About the 4th of July
July 4, 2017
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1. The day the U.S. Congress actually passed the vote in favor of independence was July 2, not July 4. John Adams, a leader of the American Revolution, wrote to his wife, Abigail Adams, that the holiday would always be on July 2:
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. - July 3, 1776
2. Both Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826. Only one other U.S. president has died on this day -- James Monroe in 1831.
3. Although Philadelphia marked Independence Day starting in 1777, the celebration was not widely recognized all at once. In fact, Congress didn't even make July 4 an official holiday until 1870.
4. While Independence Day today means lots of red, white and blue, the first celebrations used greenery instead. The colors of the American flag were not widely available for decorative use until later years.
5. T.V. producer Norman Lear owns one of the rare, 27 known copies in existence of the Declaration of Independence. Lear took the document on tour around the country starting in 2001.
Top Image: Fireworks light up the San Diego skyline during a 4th of July celebration. | Public Domain
