You must know by now that Macaroni Kid is fond of special days and their fun facts! Read on for some fun and interesting facts about the Fourth of July and a couple of silly jokes to get the kids giggling.
- Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national animal but was out-voted 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 hot dog for every two people in the U.S.
- The first Fourth of July party was held at the White House in 1801.
- The words “under God” were not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until the year 1954.
- More than 74 million Americans will BBQ on July 4th.
- The Fourth of July was not declared a national holiday until 1941.
- The national anthem is actually set to the tune of an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
- The stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were represented equally.
- Three U.S. presidents have died on July 4th: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; five years later, James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
- Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on the 4th of July. He was born in 1872.
- Marie Curie, the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes and the only person to win two in two different science fields, died on July 4, 1934.
