VivaTysons July-August 2012

Fun Independence Day Facts and Figures ✩ Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826. ✩T he 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. ✩ I n 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. It is one of the few federal holidays that has not been moved to the nearest Friday or Monday. ✩T he first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occurred at Independence Creek, Kansas, and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805. ✩ I ndependence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. ✩C ensus estimates show there were about 2.5 million people living in the newly independent nation in 1776 and now there are over 300 million. ✩J ohn Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. His autograph was also the largest, which is why his name became synonymous with signatures. ✩G eorge Washington did not sign the Declaration of Independence. At the time, he was not a member of Congress, but the commander of the Continental Army and preparing for battle. ✩T he stars on the original American flag were arranged in a circle to ensure that all colonies were equal. ✩T he Second Continental Congress formed a committee known today as “The Committee of Five.” It consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. ✩T he Committee of Five was to come up with a draft for the Declaration and they decided that Thomas Jefferson would write it.