Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence Day Oddities





So you think you know all about Independence Day, right? The Fourth of July in the US is celebrated because that is when all those people signed the Declaration of Independence back in 1776, right?  WRONG!  Read on and discover some unusual facts about this day in American history...











1.  The Declaration of Independence was NOT signed by all of the participants on July 4th, 1776.  John Hancock was the only one of the original 56 signers to actually sign it on July 4th.  It took until 1781 for one of them to finally sign it!


2.  The Liberty Bell was not rung on July 4th, 1776 because the paperwork was neither signed nor proclaimed on that date.  The bell was rung on July 8th after most of the 56 signers had finally completed the paperwork.


3.  Williamsburg, Virginia is the only city which celebrates Independence Day on July 25th instead of July 4th because that is when the actual declaration was adopted.


4.  Rough and Ready, California tried to break away from the union on April 7th, 1850 but quickly decided to rejoin the country on July 4th when saloons in the area made it clear that no liquor would be sold to non-citizens!


5.  Three presidents died on Independence Day.  Jefferson and Adams died within minutes of each other on July 4th, 1826 and Monroe died on July 4th, 1831.
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12 comments:

  1. Katie O'SullivanJuly 4, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    I knew that first fact, but none of the others - interesting!

    Happy Fourth of July!

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    Replies
    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveJuly 4, 2012 at 8:23 AM

      Hi Katie! Happy Fourth of July to you as well!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 4, 2012 at 8:33 AM

    I did not know all of those facts! Thanks for telling me!
    Erik

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    Replies
    1. Think Positive, Be PositiveJuly 4, 2012 at 11:45 AM

      Hi Erik! See, we learn something new every day...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  3. Susanna Leonard HillJuly 4, 2012 at 11:38 AM

    So many interesting cool facts that i did not know! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna L MartinJuly 4, 2012 at 4:58 PM

      Hi Susanna! I didn't know most of them myself until I researched it...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJuly 4, 2012 at 11:59 AM

    Thanks for sharing - cool stuff!

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    Replies
    1. Donna L MartinJuly 4, 2012 at 4:59 PM

      Hi Chris! I just love discovering unusual and interesting things...especially about history!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  5. janetJuly 4, 2012 at 12:44 PM

    I knew number 5. Yay, me!

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    Replies
    1. Donna L MartinJuly 4, 2012 at 5:00 PM

      Yeah, Janet, I think that was the only one I knew also...but I didn't know which presidents...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  6. jpJuly 5, 2012 at 7:42 AM

    I did actually know the story of the signing from a series of odd facts I have accumulated. For instance there is the old question which is heaviest a pound of gold or a pound of feathers. The know-alls will immediately state they are the same weight but that is incorrect.

    A pound of feathers is heavier! This is because you would weigh a pound of feathers with the imperial measure whereas gold is weighed in Troy ounces and pounds which is slightly lighter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna L MartinJuly 5, 2012 at 9:08 AM

      Hi JP! My, my, aren't you a wealth of trivia knowledge! I want you to be one of my lifelines if I ever play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? ;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete

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