These 4th of July Fun Facts are Incredible

The Fourth of July is one of the most popular holidays by far and for many the opportunity to get together and celebrate with good food, friends and an adult beverage or two is a no brainer. While Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter bring families and friends together they lack the carefree all-in attitude of a barbecue in the summer heat. In addition, July is National Grilling Month.

The population on the Hi-line and North Central Montana is small compared to the rest of the world but it would be fair to say we would hold our own when it comes to consumption. Some of the numbers according to AgHires.com for the 4th of July are staggering: Over 74 million Americans are planning to grill out for the 4th of July; Burgers (85%), steak (80%), hot dogs (79%), chicken (73%) are the most popular foods for the grill; Every 4th of July, 150 million hot dogs are consumed in the U.S.; Most of the pork hot dogs and sausages consumed on Independence Day come from Iowa; Compared to hotdogs, Americans only buy 190 million pounds of red meat or pork for this holiday; Most beef hot dogs, steaks, and burgers come from Texas, Nebraska, or Kansas; 750 million pounds of chicken is purchased leading up to the 4th of July and that chicken most likely came from Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, or Texas.

Americans spend much more on condiments than chips and dip for their Independence Day barbecues; 5% of the national beer consumption happens over the 4th of July weekend, which is about 68.3 million cases of beer; Corn (41%), potatoes (41%), other veggies (32%) are the most popular grilled side dishes; There is a 66% chance your corn on the cob, most likely came from Florida, California, Georgia, Washington, or New York. Odds are the potatoes in your potato salads or chips came from Idaho or Washington State, and if you like tomatoes on your burger, they probably came from Florida or California. Florida, California, Georgia, or Texas most likely produced your watermelon that is served at your barbecue and California probably grew the lettuce in your salad.

While numbers of consumption are fun here are some historical facts you may not know: We didn’t actually declare Independence on the 4th of July. One of the greatest misconceptions of the 4th of July lies in the name and date. It is widely believed that America declared their independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. However, the official vote actually took place two days before and the “Declaration” was published in papers on July 4.

Only two men Signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Charles Thompson and the infamous John Hancock were the only two men who actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The other 54 delegates signed over the course of the next month.

The average age of the signers was 45 Years. Of the 56 signers, the youngest signers, Thomas Lynch Jr. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, were only 26. However, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest signer at 70 years old.