Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

Ever wondered why we set off those humungous kaleidoscopes of gunpowder in our sky each Fourth of July? Apparently, the history of fireworks in America is as old the country itself.  On our first Independence Day celebration, held in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, when the country was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War against Britain, citizens came together to watch their new nation’s sky illuminated in a grand display meant to raise spirits. “I think they wanted to create a morale booster, and it worked,” James R. Heintze, author of The Fourth of July Encyclopedia, told USA Today. “The news spread, and Fourth of July celebrations with fireworks took hold quickly in other places.” One of our Founding Fathers had even predicted that Americans would commemorate their independence with pomp and circumstance. On July 3, 1776, a day ahead of the Continental Congress’ adoption of the final version of the Declaration of Independence, Massachusetts delegate Joh...

1. Only two people actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4: John Hancock and Charles Thomson, secretary of Congress. Most of the others signed on August 2. 2. Not everyone was on board with celebrating on July 4, the day Congress approved the Declaration. John Adams wanted to celebrate on July 2, the day Congress voted for independence. 3. One US president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4. So were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Neil Simon, George Steinbrenner, and Malia Obama. 4. Three US presidents have died on July 4 — John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. In a bizarre twist of fate, Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the country they helped found. 5. On July 4, 1778, George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for his soldiers to celebrate the holiday. 6. July 4 wasn't deemed a federal holiday until 1870, nearly 100 years after the nation was founded. 7....