10 things you didn’t know about the Fourth of July

It’s America’s birthday! Or is it? Well, not quite… some facts you might not have known about Independence Day.

04/07/11 953 Views 5 Comments

IT’S INDEPENDENCE DAY – the day on which the United States of America celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the winning of its political freedom from Great Britain in 1776.

There’s much going on on Stateside to mark the holiday, but while all of that is going on, here’s a selection of things you may not actually have known about America’s birthday.

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1 - "The unanimous declaration of the thirteen united States of America..."
Although July 4 is Independence Day, the second Continental Congress didn't actually vote for independence on July 4. They did that on July 2 - but July 4 was the date that the Congress passed the 'Declaration of Independence', which explained the motives for that vote.
2 - Fourth of July? Not quite
But despite that, the first Independence Day was celebrated on... July 8. That's when the Declaration, as agreed upon by the Congress, was first read aloud - and the first date on which Independence Day was declared. Photo: Reggie Alvey on Flickr
3 - You Crack Me Up
It's said that the famous Liberty Bell was rung on the Fourth of July to mark the celebration - but we know now, given that there was no public event on 4 July 1776, that that's not the case. You may also have heard that the Bell picked up it's famous crack on the day it was first rung - not true either. It also had a small crack long before it was rung on 8 July, 1776 to summon people, but that was reset. The largest crack, it is thought, emerged in 1835 when it was marking the death of a Chief Justice. It also wasn't known as the Liberty Bell until that year. The bell became unusable in 1846 when it rang to mark George Washington's birthday on 22 February.
4 - Party like it's 1773
The whole thing may not have happened if the various colonies had any kind of democracy. The main grievance of the 13 colonies which formed the USA was that they were being taxed without electing the people who distributed their taxes. This was the prime force behind the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The various colonies had their own local assemblies, but none were directly elected and you needed a £40 property freehold to get a vote anyway.
5 - "Thomas Jefferson survives"
Only two of the 56 men who signed the original Declaration of Independence actually became President: John Adams, who was the second president, and his immediate successor Thomas Jefferson (pictured). Both died on the Fourth of July - on exactly the same day in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the declaration. Adams' last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives" - not knowing that Jefferson had died a few hours previously.
6 - Again, the Fourth of July? Not quite
Not only was the Declaration of Independence not announced on July 4, it wasn't even signed on that date. 50 of the 56 signatories put their names to it on August 2. The final signature wasn't put to it until January. The names of the signatories were not revealed for months afterwards as a security measure - if independence had failed, they would have been put to death for treason to Britain.
7 - National day for national day
Although widely celebrated in the intervening centuries, it wasn't until 1941 that Independence Day became a federal (national) holiday, when it was made so by Franklin D Roosevelt. Many states had marked the day as a holiday in the meantime anyway.
8 - Betsy's handiwork
The US flag actually predates the country it represents - the original flag was commissioned in either May or June of 1776, before independence was declared. The flag was then adopted into law on June 14 (thereafter "Flag Day") the following year. The original flag was put together by Betsy Ross, and is now informally named after her.
9 - It's a holiday in Saipan
The Fourth of July is also the national holiday of America's various dependencies and political affiliates, including the Northern Mariana Islands - the best known of which is Saipan. Yes, that Saipan. (Photo: ©INPHO/Andrew Paton)
10 - ...and in Rwanda
It's also the national day in Rwanda, where it's Liberation Day. The date marks the day in 1994 in which the genocide ended. (AP Photo/Jean Marc Bouju)

Reggie Alvey on Flickr" title="">

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10 things you didn’t know about the Fourth of July

It’s America’s birthday! Or is it? Well, not quite… some facts you might not have known about Independence Day.

1 - "The unanimous declaration of the thirteen united States of America..."

2 - Fourth of July? Not quite

3 - You Crack Me Up

4 - Party like it's 1773

5 - "Thomas Jefferson survives"

6 - Again, the Fourth of July? Not quite

7 - National day for national day

8 - Betsy's handiwork

9 - It's a holiday in Saipan

10 - ...and in Rwanda

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