From fireworks to history: why July 4th—and even July 5th—matter

By Linda Cicoira

Flags, banners, apple pie, fireworks, hot dogs, parades, hamburgers, potato salad, barbecued chicken, sparklers, everything red, white, and blue, and white wigs on the heads of colonists who signed the Declaration of Independence are things we think about on July 4th.

The Continental Congress voted in favor of the Declaration on July 2, 1776. It was adopted two days later when it was also printed and distributed. People celebrated the milestone’s first anniversary in 1777, but the date didn’t become a federal holiday until nearly 100 years later.

There are many other reasons why July 4th is important. It is the birthday of both Hiram Walker, founder of Canadian Club whiskey, and James Anthony Bailey, circus ringmaster and co-founder of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Also born on the 4th of July was Stephen Mather, the conservationist who organized the National Park Service, Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, Pauline Phillips, also known as Dear Abby, and her twin sister, Ann Landers, known for her column Ask Ann Landers.

West Point Military Academy opened on July 4, 1802. The U.S. government informed citizens of the Louisiana Purchase on July 4, 1803. The U.S. Flag Act of 1818 was enacted on July 4th, creating a 13-stripe flag with a star for each state.

On July 4, 1826, both former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. New York abolished slavery on July 4, 1827. The first organized rodeo competition was held in Arizona on July 4, 1888. Americans bombed locations in Nazi Germany for the first time on July 4, 1942. Former President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act on July 4, 1966. Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 debuted on July 4, 1970. NASA’s Pathfinder Space Probe was reported to have landed on Mars on July 4, 1997.

And while all that is pretty special, July 5 also has its own distinctions.

According to a popular website, Bikini Day, Hope a Park Day, International Cherry Pit Spitting Day, International Day of Cooperatives, Mechanical Pencil Day, National Apple Turnover Day, National Graham Cracker Day, National Play Outside Day, and National Workaholics Day are all commemorated on July 5.