Four Fun Facts For The Fourth Of July

1. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both signed the Declaration of Independence; went on to serve as Presidents of the United States; and died on July 4th, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary.  Adams’ last words were said to be, ‘Thomas Jefferson still survives,’ not knowing that his friend and rival had died several hours earlier (no internet back then).
2. Fifth President James Monroe, another Founding Father, died on July 4, 1831.  He was the third consecutive President to die on Independence Day. Fourth time was the proverbial charm, to the relief, I’m guessing, of John Quincy Adams.
3. The Declaration of Independence has been celebrated since the first anniversary in 1777, but the 4th of July was not declared a national holiday until 1941. It was first referred to as Independence Day in 1791.  Ideas caught on slowly back then – like I said: no internet.
4. Three times I have declared a Will Smith Day, because he is the King of Independence Day.  No government either side of the pond has taken me up on it.  You can read the details here, but here’s an extract to whet your appetite:

Sadly, Will won’t be starring in my forthcoming movie, in which large blonde dogs band together and betray humanity to an alien species.  I call it Independence Day: Boomer’s Revenge.  Tagline: The Day The Dogs Bit Back.

Happy Independence Day!

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Joke 7413

Thor, Cool Cat Patriot 7-4-2012 (Photo credit: inkknife_2000)

Teacher: True or False?  The Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia.
Student: False. It was written in ink.

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Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
On the bottom.

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Why did the British soldiers wear red coats?
So they could hide in the tomatoes.

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Why did Paul Revere ride from Boston to Lexington?

Because the horse was too heavy to carry.

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What was General Washington’s favorite tree?
The infantry.

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What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?
The Americans licked the British.

[It hurt to post that one]

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What kind of tea did the American colonists thirst for?
Liberty.

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What did King George think of the American colonists?
He thought they were revolting.

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Where did the colonists’ dogs protest against England?
At the Boston Flea Party.

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What do you call an American revolutionary who draws cartoons?
Yankee Doodler.

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Father William, the old priest, made it a practice to visit the parish school one day a week. He walked into the 4th grade class, where the children were studying the states, and asked them how many states they could name. They came up with about 40 names.

Father William jokingly told them that in his day students knew the names of all the states. One lad raised his hand and said, Yes sir, but in those days there were only 13 states.

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Happy Fourth of July to my American rebels readers!

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From academictips.