Fun Facts about July 4th
- 1777 – The First Anniversary – Bristol, Rhode Island, fired thirteen gunshots in salute: once in the morning and once again in the evening. Philadelphia hosted an official dinner for the Continental Congress. There were also toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.
- 1778 – General George Washington gave his soldiers a double ration of rum and an artillery salute. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin hosted a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
- 1781 – The Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4th as a state celebration.
- 1791 – The first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
- 1820 – Eastport Main held the first Fourth of July celebration, and it remains the largest in the state.
- 1870 – The United States Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
- 1938 – The United States Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
Courtesy of National Day Calendar (nationaldaycalendar.com)
*Archived from H&H's Constant Contact Newsletters [7.1.2022]