This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Broward chapter.
Summer is still here! So, what is the most important holiday of the summer? The Fourth of July! Here are some sweet facts!
- Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national animal but was out – voted when John Adams and Thomas Jefferson chose the bald eagle.
- The stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were represented equally.
- John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independence on July. 4th, 1776. The other 55 signers did not sign it until later.
- Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day: July. 4th, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- History’s first submarine attack took place in New York Harbor in 1776.
- There were no fireworks on July. 4th, 1776, but there were fireworks 1 year later, on July. 4th, 1777. This was still 6 years before Americans knew whether the new nation would survive the war.
- George Washington was the best spymaster in American History! He ran espionage rings in British – held areas and he was a genius at misinformation. He costantly befuddled the British by leaking, through double agents, inflated reports of the strength of his army.
- Washington was robust man with a seeming immunity to disease and bullets. In one encounter in the French and Indian War, he absorbed 4 bullets in his coat and hat and had 2 horses shot from under him without any injury to himself.
- The United States of America won it’s independence despite the fact that the British Army was established, experienced disciplined, and trained and the American Army was not. In addition to this, the British Army had ample quantities of powder, guns, and clothing and the American Army was not well supplied.
- The song “Yankee Doodle” was sung originally by British officers making fun of backwards Americans.