July 4 is the date that Congress set aside to celebrate the adoption of America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Pendletonian Times has compiled a list of fun facts about the Fourth:
On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress approved a resolution of independence from Great Britain. That resolution went into effect immediately.
July 4 is the day that the Continental Congress approved the wording of the Declaration of Independence. They made no public announcement of their vote to leave Great Britain.
The Liberty Bell probably didn’t ring at all on July 4, 1776. It may have rung four days later on July 8, to mark the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The first Independence Day celebration was held in Bristol, Rhode Island on July 4, 1777. The day included an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, speeches, music, parades, and fireworks.
Founding Father John Adams wanted to celebrate Independence Day on the second day of July and not the fourth. Adams felt that since the Continental Congress voted to leave Great Britain on July 2, any celebration of national independence should be held on that day as well. Adams is said to have protested the Fourth of July by refusing invitations to appear at events honoring the day.
A popular story of the time claims that the trademark crack in the Liberty Bell appeared in 1835 while ringing out for the death of John Marshall, Fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Independence Day was not a federal holiday until 1870 when it was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees by Congress. It wasn’t until 1938 that Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
There are more than 14,000 Independence Day fireworks displays in the United States annually. The largest of these displays is the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City, which is attended by 2 million people.