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Happy birthday U.S.A.

How much do you really know about our country?

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Highlands Today has compiled a list of fun facts about Independence Day, from the legendary to the obscure.

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PALLAVI AGARWAL

Highlands Today

Published: July 4, 2009

How July 4th is celebrated in the United States has changed since that July 4th in 1778 when Revolutionary Army General George Washington directed his army to put "green boughs" in their hats, allowed them a double allowance of rum, and ordered a Fourth of July artillery salute. Highlands Today has compiled a list of fun facts about Independence Day, from the legendary to the obscure.

Symbolic birth date
July 4th commemorates the date on July 4, 1776 when the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing that the 13 American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were now independent states. But the date was actually arbitrarily chosen.

Actual independence from Britain came seven years later when the American Revolutionary War ended.

According to most historians, 50 members from Congress signed this document on Aug. 2, 1776, and not on July 4, as is often believed. Later that year, five more signed separately and one added his name in a later year. Thomas McKean was the last to sign in January 1777.

July 4th was declared a legal holiday in 1941.

Births & deaths
It's well known that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only two men to sign the Declaration of Independence and become president of the United States, died July 4th, 1826, which was also the 50th anniversary of America. But James Monroe, who was the fifth president, also died on July 4, in 1831. Calvin Coolidge, who was the 30th president, was born July 4, 1872.

'We Want You'
Uncle Sam was first popularized during the War of 1812, when the term appeared on supply containers but the U. S. Congress didn't adopt him as a national symbol until 1961.

Humble origins?
The American national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner," is set to the tune of an English drinking song ("To Anacreon in Heaven").

Hot dog patriotism
On July 4, 1916, four immigrants are said to have argued over who amongst them was more patriotic on the Fourth of July. The four decided to rectify the controversy by having a hot dog eating contest, thus sparking the famous "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest" that is held annually on the day in Coney Island, N.Y.

Silent bell
The Liberty Bell was rung in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

According to historical facts, the first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective and were melted back down and recast. The third Liberty Bell rang on every Fourth of July from 1778 until it cracked in 1835. It has since remained quiet.

What's on your plate today?
The food used in July 4th backyard barbecues is probably more American than anything else these days. There's a good chance your hot dogs are from Iowa, baked beans from North Dakota, water melons from Florida, and potato salad and potato chips from Idaho or Washington.

Iowa supplied one-fourth of the nation's hot dogs and sausages last year; North Dakota produced 39 percent of the nation's dry, edible beans; Florida grew the largest number of watermelons while half of the nation's spuds last year were grown in Idaho or Washington State.

Fireworks & flags
Last year, the U.S. imported $193 million in fireworks from China, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($202 million). The value of manufacturers' shipments of fireworks in 2002 was much more, at $17.3 billion.

Ditto with U.S. flags. Last year, the United States imported $3.4 million worth of American flags, mostly from China.

Sources: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/a..., http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Lists/?arti...,
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_three_of_the_
first_five_presidents_died_on_July_4th

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