Things You Probably Didn't Know

[IceWizard]

About Independence Day







On July 4, 1776, the American colonies were declared free of
British rule by the Second Continental Congress with the passage
of the Declaration of Independence.
Here are some things you didn't know about Independence Day...



Congress Didn't Actually Vote For
Independence On July 4

It is widely believed that America’s first Continental Congress declared its
independence from the British monarchy on July 4th, 1776. However, the
official vote actually took place two days before on July 2nd.  In a letter
that John Adams wrote on July 3, 1777, to Abigail, his wife, he predicted
that “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha,
in the History of America.”  Adams famously insisted the annual celebration
of independence be held July 2, not July 4, and refused to attend any
events on July 4.



Most Delegates Didn’t Sign The
Declaration of Independence Until August

It is often believed that everyone signed the Declaration of Independence on
July 4th, a moment that’s often portrayed in popular paintings. However, it
took an entire month to get all 56 delegates together to put their
“John Hancock” on the document. Historians disagree on the precise order
of the signing, but it seems most signatories didn’t put their names on the
document until August 2. In fact, the only person believed to sign the
document on July 4th was also its first signer: John Hancock.



"The Pursuit of Property"?

Arguably the most famous line in the Declaration of Independence is the
second sentence of the preamble, which begins, “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed,
by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But as originally drafted
by Thomas Jefferson, the pursuit was not of happiness, but of “Property.”
As the story goes, Benjamin Franklin convinced Jefferson to make the
change because “property” was too “narrow” a notion.



Americans East More Hot Dogs on July 4
Than Any Other Day

Hot dogs are a popular item on the 4 of July menu, and Americans eat around
150 million of them to celebrate America’s independence. That’s enough hot dogs
to lay end to end from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. around five times.
Nathan’s holds their annual contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs on
July 4, and Joey Chestnut, a California competitive eater, who downed 72
hot dogs in 10 minutes, won the competition in 2020.







July 4 Is The Biggest Day Of The Year
For Fatal Car Accidents

It's a good idea to be extra cautious while driving today. According to the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, each Independence Day has seen
an average of 118.4 persons killed in traffic accidents over the last five years,
making it the most deadly day of the year. The Fourth of July was exceptionally
dangerous for motorcyclists, with an average of 25.8 deaths reported,
more than double the daily national average of 12.1 deaths.