Independence Day: July 4th

Independence Day: July 4th

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Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times by descendants of the Declaration signees in honor of the original thirteen colonies. 

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Americans typically eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, “enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times,” according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

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Americans spend over $1 billion on fireworks every year.

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An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776. As of 2020, the US population was a little over 331 million.

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Although John Adams was the first president to occupy the Executive Mansion in November 1800, it was Thomas Jefferson who first celebrated the Fourth of July at the White House in 1801. Jefferson opened the house and greeted diplomats, civil and military officers, citizens, and Cherokee chiefs in the center of the oval saloon (today's Blue Room). The Marine Band played in the Entrance Hall while on the north grounds a festival took place -- complete with horse races, parades, and food and drink. The tradition of an annual reception at the White House continued for much of the nineteenth century.

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One World Trade Center in New York City was designed to pay tribute to the year that America received its independence from Great Britain. The tower is exactly 1,776 feet tall to represent the year 1776.

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Bristol, RI is nicknamed, "America's Most Patriotic Town". The annual official and historic celebrations (Patriotic Exercises) were established in 1785 by Rev. Henry Wight of the First Congregational Church and veteran of the Revolutionary War. The celebrations continue today, organized by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee. The festivities officially start on June 14, Flag Day, beginning a period of outdoor concerts, soap-box races and a firefighters' muster at Independence Park. The celebration climaxes on July 4 with the oldest annual parade in the United States, "The Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade", an event that draws over 200,000 people from Rhode Island and around the world.

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