JCPL - Kids Zone

All About Independence Day

Did you know that the Fourth of July was not the only day the U.S. declared its independence?

There were many dates during the summer of 1776 that are associated with the Declaration of Independence:

July 2: Declaration of Independence Resolution adopted by the Continental Congress
July 4: Declaration of Independence signed by the officers of the Continental Congress
July 8: First public reading of the Declaration of Independence
August 2: Declaration of Independence signed by 50 of the 56 men in total who signed the document

You can read more about the story of our country's birth at ReadWriteThink.

We've grown... a lot!

2.5 million In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.

309.6 million The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.

Patriotic-sounding Place Names

There are 31 places nationwide with "liberty" in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2008, is Liberty, Mo. (30,568). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

Thirty places have "eagle" in their name -- after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 26,668 residents.
Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 110,440 residents.
Five places adopted the name "freedom." Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these. (This population total is as of the 2000 Census; no population estimate is available for Freedom because it is a census designated place.)
There is one place named "patriot" -- Patriot, Ind., with a population of 189.
And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 27,064.

Where does my food come from?

If you're eating at a cookout this Fourth of July, the chances are highest that your foods came from these states:

Hot Dogs (Pork) - Iowa
Hot Dogs (Beef) - Texas
Baked Beans - North Dakota
Corn - Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York
Potato Salad or Potato Chips - Washington
Tomatoes - Florida or California
Ketchup - California
Watermelon - Florida

Source: Fun Facts about the Fourth of July, USA.gov

Birthdays and Special Days in July

4 Independence Day. The United States is 234 years old.
11 E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web, born in 1899.
14 Peggy Parish, author of the Amelia Bedelia series, is born this day in 1927.
14 Laura Numeroff, author of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie (and other books), is born in 1953.
19 Childrens' publisher (and namesake for the Newbery Awards) John Newbery, born in 1713.
20 The first human walked on the moon this day in 1969. Check out this NASA website from 2004 celebrating the 35th anniversary of the moon landing, or this site from the Smithsonian about the Impact of the moon landing.
26 Jan Berenstain, co author of the Berenstain Bears books, born this day in 1923.
28 Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, is born in 1866.
31 J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is born in 1965. Coincidentally, Harry Potter shares her birthday.