1. How many people signed the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July? Two.
2. Which day did most signers of the Declaration of Independence actually put their John Hancocks on the document? Aug. 2, 1776.
3. Which president was born on the Fourth of July? Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, in 1872
4. Which President thought that the country would celebrate Independence Day on July 2nd? John Adams expected that Americans would celebrate Independence Day on July 2, the day the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Britain. “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” Adams wrote.
5. When were fireworks first used to celebrate the Fourth of July? The initial fireworks were ignited in 1777 to commemorate the first anniversary of the American colonies’ Declaration of Independence.
6. Which newspaper first printed the Declaration of Independence? The Pennsylvania Evening Post printed by Benjamin Towne from 1775 to 1784, published the Declaration of Independence on July 6, 1776.
7. Which country gained independence from the U.S. on the Fourth of July? The Philippines did so in 1946.
8. There was a baseball pitcher who threw a 4-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox July 4, 1983: Who was it? The New York Yankees’ Dave Righetti threw the first no-hitter at Yankee Stadium in 27 years.
9. Is there something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence? Yes. Appearing upside down on the bottom of the document are the words, “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” The memo may have been written as a label.
10. Did you know three of the first five U.S. presidents died on the Fourth of July? John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on Independence Day. Even weirder, Adams, the second president, and Jefferson, the third, died on the same day in 1826, the country’s 50th birthday.
11. Which president was the first to hold a Fourth of July celebration at the White House? Thomas Jefferson.
12. How many people lived in the American colonies when the Declaration of Independence was signed? 2.5 million.
13. Were any of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence born outside the colonies? Eight of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence representing the 13 colonies were born in Britain or Ireland.
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