Happy 4th of July from everyone at BeansTalk!

Have a safe and (mostly) sane holiday! The news returns tomorrow, 5 July 2006.

Reason We Celebrate Fourth of July:
To celebrate the independence of the United States when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

History of Fourth of July (U.S):

Fourth of July was first celebrated on July 8, 1776 after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Fourth of July was declared a legal holiday in 1941.

The 13 Colonies were

Connecticut Delaware Georgia Maryland Massachusetts Bay New Hampshire New Jersey

New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Virginia

1801- The first public Fourth of July reception at the White House occured

1804- The first Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi occured at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

1805- Boston has its first fireworks display; in Charleston, S.C., the American Revolution Society and the Society of the Cincinnati meet at St. Philips Church

1876- Centennial celebrations (many are three-day celebrations, 3-5 July) occur throughout the United States and abroad

1884- The formal presentation of the Statue of Liberty takes place in the Gauthier workshop in Paris

1887- First Fourth of July celebration in Yellowstone National Park takes place

1912- The new national flag with 48 stars is "formally and officially endowed"

1926- The 150th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence takes place throughout the nation

1960- The 50th-star American flag waves for the first time as Hawaii is given statehood

1976- The nation's Bicentennial occurs.

Betsy Ross sewed it, but who designed the first U.S. flag? The answer, according to the experts at the Betsy Ross house, is that it was possibly designed by Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The stars on the flag were in a circle so that no one colony would be viewed above another. It is reported that George Washington said, "Let the 13 stars in a circle stand as a new constellation in the heavens."

Betsy Ross prayed in the pew next to George Washington and was a niece of George Ross, so it's not hard to believe that the members of the Flag Committee formed by the Continental Congress would call upon Betsy Ross to make the flag.

Did you know that the words "Under God" weren't added until 1954 to the Pledge of Allegiance?

One lucky Philadelphian purchased a $4.00 picture at a flea market. What they found behind the picture was an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was sold to TV producer Norman Lear for 8.1 million.

Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell is tapped - not actually rung.