Happy Fourth of July from Delta Dental and the TRDP

July 4, 1776 is traditionally celebrated as the date that our ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. However, August 2, 1776 was the actual signing date: The rough outline of the idea was approved on July 2; after much discussion, the finished draft was ratified on July 4.

John Adams first said that the event should be celebrated with much “pomp and circumstance.” The first official Fourth of July party was in 1777; warships along the docks of Philadelphia fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the original 13 states. In 1788, the first Fourth of July parade took place, with horse-drawn floats moving through the streets. Americans continued for centuries to unofficially celebrate the Fourth of July until finally in 1941 Congress established July 4, “Independence Day,” as a legal holiday.

Today, most people celebrate the Fourth of July with family picnics, community parades full of symbolic red, white and blue and patriotic songs, and fireworks displays at night. It is also a day to celebrate our freedom, appreciate our country, honor those who died fighting to preserve these ideals and, of course, fly the American flag.

Did you know…?

On the first American flag, the 13 stars (representing the 13 colonies) were sewn in a circle so that no one colony would be viewed above another one as more important.

• The 13 red and white stripes on the current American flag represent the 13 original colonies.
• The blue area on the American flag where the stars are is called the canton.
• A flag expert is called a vexillologist.
• It is against the law to fly any other flag higher than the American flag at anytime, anywhere in the US.
• The American flag is folded into a triangle to represent the shape of the tri-cornered hats worn by soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
• The Chinese are credited with inventing fireworks in the ninth century.
• During the Middle Ages, “fire masters” designed and put on elaborate fireworks displays for military victories, religious festivals and crowning of kings and queens.
• Although sold in America, most fireworks today are made in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Source: www.brownielocks.com