4th of July Fun Facts

Courtesy of my friend Michael Bratton from The Padawer Bratton Financial Group.

Happy 4th of July! To honor the 236th anniversary of American independence, we

have gathered a few interesting facts for you to sprinkle into conversations during the holiday.

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national animal but was outvoted when John Adams and Thomas Jefferson chose the bald eagle.
• Over an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed on July 4th. That's roughly one dog for every two people in the United States.
• Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on the 4th of July. He was born in 1872.
• $190.7 million-- The value of fireworks imported from China in 2010, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($197.3 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $37.0 million in 2010, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($6.3 million).
• John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The other 55 signers did not sign it until August 2nd or even later.
• 125,000 -- The number of U.S. flags flown over the U.S. Capitol during 2010 at the request of House and Senate members. On July 4 alone, 1,200 were flown.
• "Nothing important happened today." — Diary entry by King George III on July 4, 1776.
• $3.2 million -- The dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2010. The vast majority of this amount ($2.8 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. While $486,026 is the value of U.S. flags exported in 2010. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $256,407 worth.
• The national anthem is set to the tune of an old English drinking song called, “To Anacreon in Heaven”.
• Five places have “America” in their names. The most populous is American Fork, Utah (26,263). Eleven places have “Independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo. (116,830).