a little fun trivia

John Adams’ Final Toast

In 1826, John Adams, the second President of the United States, then 90, was on his deathbed as the nation prepared to celebrate its 50th Independence Day.
An emissary had been dispatched to invite the president to speak on the Fourth. Adams was ill and he declined.
The emissaries persisted, so Adams instead offered a toast.
His visitors anticipated grand words of flattery and praise, as was the custom of the day. But when Adams raised his glass he uttered only two words. Surprised, the emissaries asked him if he would expand upon his toast. "Not a word!" said Adams. Adams' final toast was that of a revolutionary:
"Independence Forever!" he said. Hear! Hear!

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Fireworks In The Nation's Capital

Historians say Thomas Jefferson was the first president to host a fireworks display at the Presidential Mansion in 1801 (before the White House was built). Independence Day celebrations continued in Washington, D.C., despite mayoral bans which were largely ignored. In the 1920s, city officials chose to use the Washington Monument grounds to host their own fireworks display which they felt would be safer than those of private individuals. The tradition lives on with the National Parks Service hosting one of the largest displays in the country on the National Mall.
The display requires a crew of 10 working six days in advance to string 150 miles of wire to connect the fireworks to six separate electronic firing boards set up on either side of the Reflecting Pool. At precisely 9:10 pm on July 4th, pyro technicians begin the 20-minute show, launching more than seven tons of explosives for a total of 2,600 aerial bombs, some of which contain as many as 30 individual firecrackers per shell. The show typically includes color-changing chrysanthemums, variegated peonies, and kamuros with glittering tails, long-burning dahlias, whistles, tourbillions, crossettes, and pattern shells to create stars, hearts, and smiley faces. The show is accompanied by a National Symphony Orchestra concert on the lawn of the Capitol Building.

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The Star Spangled Banner
"The Star Spangled Banner," sung to the melody of a drinking song "To Anacreon in Heaven," is based on a poem written by Francis Scott Key called "Defense of Ft. McHenry." During the War of 1812, Key overheard the British plans for attacking Baltimore while on board a British ship under a flag of truce trying to negotiate the release of a local doctor. The British, unwilling to release Key or his fellow negotiator, held these Americans on board as the British navy attacked Fort McHenry. Upon seeing the American flag still flying in the morning as his ship entered Baltimore harbor, an inspired Key wrote his famous poem. "The Star Spangled Banner" became America’s national anthem by President Wilson's executive order in 1916. Congress would confirm this order in 1931.

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The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Julia Ward Howe, the wife of a Boston abolitionist, wrote this hymn during the Civil War after visiting the Union army encamped on the Potomac near Washington, D.C. The hymn first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and went on to become the rallying anthem of Union soldiers. It later inspired American soldiers in World War II as well as civil rights activists in the 1960s. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is the source of the title for John Steinbeck's book "Grapes of Wrath" and is considered to be the unofficial anthem of the Republican Party.
My Country 'Tis of Thee / America
Samuel Smith wrote this song while studying in a seminary outside of Boston, MA. Based on the melody from Britain's national anthem "God Save the King," it was first performed in 1831 at a children's Independence Day celebration in Boston. "My Country 'Tis of Thee" went on to become the de facto national anthem of the United States for most of the 19th century.
You're a Grand Ole' Flag
Written by George Cohan for the musical "George Washington, Jr.," it debuted on the play's opening night of Feb. 6, 1906. This is the first song from a musical to sell over one million copies of sheet music.
God Bless America
Irving Berlin wrote this song in 1918, but its tone was not in line with the comedic show for which it was written. When looking for peaceful song as war loomed in Europe two decades later, Berlin pulled this tune off the shelves and modified it to reflect the current conditions. The radio broadcast of Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" on Armistice Day in 1938 rocketed this song to national acclaim. Woody Guthrie, unhappy with Berlin's song, wrote "This Land is Your Land" in 1940 in response to this patriotic tune.

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When was the 4th of July first celebrated?
John Adams predicted in a letter to his wife Abigail that Americans would celebrate their Independence Day on July 2. Off by two days — not too bad for government work.
On July 2, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, signed only by Charles Thompson (the secretary of Congress) and John Hancock (the presiding officer). Two days later Congress approved the revised version and ordered it to be printed and distributed to the states and military officers. The other signatures would have to wait.
Many actually viewed the Declaration of Independence as a yawner — a rehashing of arguments already made against the British government. John Adams would later describe the Declaration as "dress and ornament rather than Body, Soul, or Substance." The exception was the last paragraph that said the united colonies "are and of Right ought to be Free and Independent states" and were "Absolved of all Allegiance to the British Crown."
For Adams, it was the momentum towards achieving American independence initiated on July 2 that future generations would consider worth celebrating, not the approval of this document on July 4.
Interestingly, the pomp and circumstance that many Americans presume took place on July 4, 1776, actually occurred days to weeks afterwards.
The Philadelphia Evening Post published the Declaration's full text in its July 6 newspaper. And the Declaration of Independence was publicly read from the State House in Philadelphia on July 8. Later that day, it was read in Easton, PA, Trenton, NJ, and to the local embryonic militia to provide much-needed inspiration against the formidable British.
The shouting and firing of muskets that followed these first public readings represent America's first celebrations of independence.
As copies spread, the Declaration of Independence would be read at town meetings and religious services. In response, Americans lit bonfires, fired guns, rang bells, and removed symbols of the British monarchy.
The following year, no member of Congress thought about commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence until July 3 — one day too late. So the first organized elaborate celebration of independence occurred the following day: July 4, 1777, in Philadelphia. Ships in the harbor were decked in the nation's colors. Cannons rained 13-gun salutes in honor of each state. And parades and fireworks spiced up the festivities.
Fireworks did not become staples of July 4 celebrations until after 1816, when Americans began producing their own pyrotechnics and no longer relied on expensive fireworks from across the pond.
Since 1777, the tradition of celebrating America’s independence on July 4 has continued.


I hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Proud to be an American!
Wendyk