Happy 240th Birthday USA!
- Jeanine Buckley
- Jul 4, 2016
- 3 min read
While everyone is planning their BBQs today in the USA, did you know the history of how the 4th of July came to be? In fact, the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2, but couldn't be printed until the 4th, hence the 4th was chosen. Here are some other fun facts about the 4th that maybe you didn't know!
In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in salute, once at morning and once again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island.
In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees
In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
Now for the fun stuff, here's how the party got started, so to speak. In New England, towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall, to usher in the celebration. The highest were in Salem, Massachusetts, composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels; these are the tallest bonfires ever recorded. The custom was still practiced until recently in some New England towns, like Roxbury, Springfield and Salem. The second president, John Adams, would have approved. "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival," he wrote his wife, Abigail. "It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..." Congress authorized the use of fireworks in 1777, with over 14,000 fireworks displays happening throughout the US today! The Chinese invented fireworks as a follow up to the invention of gunpowder, accidentally discovered by a Chinese chemist who discovered the explosive combination of sulphur, potassium nitrate and charcoal.
Notable Celebrations
Since 1785, the Bristol, Rhode Island 4th of July Parade is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the US
Since 1976, the world-famous Macy's Fireworks Display has been sponsored since 1976 and is now televised worldwide
Since 1973, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular has hosted a music and fireworks display over the Charles River
Food Traditions for the 4th
But what about the food? You can't get any more American than apple pie, or can you? Did you know that the only apples native to American soil are crabapples, which are bitterly sour and not suited for apple pie? It was actually the pilgrims who brought over European apple seeds from England. It was the famous John Chapman, aka, Johnny Appleseed who planted over 10,000 miles of apples, helping to make the US the number one producer of apples. The phrase "American as Apple Pie" was coined by none other than Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
Then there's the famous BBQ, attributed to the Haitian Creole culture and the idea of slow-roasting beef, chicken or pork over an open pit, allowing the smoky flavors to be absorbed into the meat. I have to mention the famous hot dog, which is second to apple pie as an American food. Invented in 1874 in Coney Island by Charles Feltman, who brought the idea from his native Germany as the frankfurter, dropped them in a bun to make them portable, and then sold them for 10¢. It was one of his employees, however, Nathan Handwerker who halved the price to 5¢ and immortalized the hot dog as an American tradition.
240th Birthday Celebrations Voted by USA Today Reader's Choice
Here's the list of the most authentic 4th of July celebrations to commemorate our nation's 240th birthday:
Big Bay Boom July 4th Fireworks Show - San Diego
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