Snippets: Independence Day Thoughts...

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Here are a few July 4th snippets from one who loves collecting this kind of info:

~ “There, I guess King George will be able to read that,” said John Hancock, after signing the Declaration of Independence. And yes, George did get the message, calling the American colonists “revolting” and sending his British soldiers over to try to do something about the upstarts. We’re all glad the Americans won – not only because we ARE Americans but also because the British talk funny. What if England had won and we ended up speaking as they do? I can’t imagine hubby G-Man inquiring in the mornings, “I say, old girl, if you’re quite hungry I shall prepare your tea and crumpets!”

~ One of my favorite observations is this one from the late, great Erma Bombeck: “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.”

~ Trivia for real: On July 4, 1886, the people of France gave us the Statue of Liberty, and on July 4, 1891, Hannibal Hamlin died. Umm, you’ve never heard of Mr. Hamlin? He was Vice-President of the United States.

~ July 4th is the birthday of some well-known folks, including Neil Simon, Calvin Coolidge, Nathanial Hawthorne, Louis Armstrong, Gina Lollobrigida, and Melia Obama.

~ Interesting tidbit: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died July 4, 1826. Wonder if they’d attended the same dinner party?

~ Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776: John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Signatures of the rest were mostly attached in August of that year. The last person to sign, Thomas McKean, finally added his name in 1781; he’d been out-of-pocket, hiking the Appalachian Trail. Just kidding.

~ What about the traditional celebratory fireworks? I discovered they’ve been around for centuries but were originally called “rockets.” Dubbed “fireworks” in 1777, the rockets eventually branched off into several rootin’ tootin’ shootin’ styles, the noisy ones becoming known as “firecrackers” and the sparkly ones, what else? “sparklers.”

~ Now this is cool: July and April always start on the same day of the week every year.

~ More trivia for real: July 4th is not the only holiday in July. Yes, there are more. Put these on your calendar: National Hot Dog Month, Anti-Boredom Month, National Picnic Month, and Cell Phone Courtesy Month. I think they forgot “Wives Do Not Have To Cook Month.” Wait, that’s every month.

~ But there’s more: July 4th is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years), which leaves us 180 more days in 2009. May we live them wisely and well.

~ And I end with several serious thoughts for this July 4th:

~ “Under the law of nature, all men are born free; every one comes into the world with a right to his own person, which includes the liberty of moving and using it at his own will. This is what is called personal liberty, and is given him by the Author.” – Thomas Jefferson

~ “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” – William Faulkner

~ “I am certain that however great the hardships and trials which loom ahead, our America will endure and the cause of human freedom will triumph.” – Cordell Hull, U.S. Secretary of State, Nobel Prize winner

~ “America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact – the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality.” – Adlai Stevenson, former U.S. Senator

~ “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” – Kahlil Gibran, poet

~ “So, two cheers for Democracy – one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.” – E. M. Forster, British Novelist

Enjoy the 4th with family and friends, and be sure to fly the beautiful Stars and Stripes. God bless America!

[Write: bethjacks@hotmail.com ]