It's that time of year again!As grills light up, fireworks fill the air, and celebrations across the UnitedStates kick off for this year's Fourth of July, many families are gathering withrelief and homecoming after a difficult year apart. In honor of IndependenceDay, enjoy these eight facts you probably didn't know about the founding of theUnited States. Photo credit: Keener Management[https://keenermanagement.com/celebrate-america-the-best-fireworks-viewing-spots-in-washington-dc/]. 1. Independence Day was technically initiated on July 2. Say what? It's true: On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After it was approved, Congress got to work on revising the Declaration of Independence, which was publicized on (you guessed it) July 4. 2. July 4th is an oddly...coincidental date. Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence and later serve as president of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826. This date was also the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 3. No, like, very coincidental. What's more: James Monroe, another Founding Father who was later elected as president, also died on July 4, 1831 (though unlike Jefferson and Adams, he did not sign the Declaration). Monroe was the third president to die on the anniversary of independence. Meanwhile, Calvin Coolidge was born on this date in 1872. 4. John Adams actually encouraged us to celebrate with barbecues and parades. While Congress was in session to approve the articles of independence, Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, saying: > "The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history ofAmerica. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeedinggenerations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated asthe day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought tobe solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells,bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, fromthis time forward forever more."Though he was off by two days, you may find many of his means of celebrationvery familiar. 5. Evidently, those living in American colonies celebrated the King's birthdaywith bonfires and speeches, prior to independence. In 1776, those sameindividuals are said to have celebrated the 4th by holding mock funerals forKing George III. Petty much? 6. Today, it's estimated that around 150 million hot dogs are consumed on the4th of July. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, that's a real thing)determined that Americans consume enough hot dogs on the 4th to stretch fromD.C. to L.A. more than five times. That's a lot of dogs!7. Independence Day wasn't a federal holiday until 1870. CelebratingIndependence Day wasn't common until after the War of 1812. But, by the 1870s,the Fourth of July had become one of the most important nonreligious holidays inthe country. Congress passed a law making Independence Day a federal holiday onJune 28, 1870.8. The nation's oldest Fourth of July parade takes place in Rhode Island. Thefirst celebration in Bristol, Rhode Island, was in 1785, and it was a smallaffair with fewer than two dozen attendees. Now, Bristol's Fourth of Julycelebration begins on Flag Day (June 14) with local events leading up to theIndependence Day parade. On the 4th, the parade stretches 2.5 miles throughtown.With (hopefully) a bit of new knowledge under your belt, we hope you celebratethis year's independence with a nod to the history that has formed it. To learnmore about the independence of the United States, check out the video below.