Founding Fathers (Verified Accounts)
Before becoming president, this Founding Father led the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington
This document announced the 13 colonies’ separation from Great Britain in 1776.
The Declaration of Independence?
In 1777, the first organized Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia included fireworks, bonfires, and this very loud military tradition.
Firing cannons
This president got stuck in the White House bathtub...or at least the rumor has followed him for over 100 years.
William Howard Taft
This 1620 document established self-government rules for Plymouth Colony and is considered an early step toward democracy in America.
Mayflower Compact
This Founding Father helped design the U.S. Constitution and kept the most detailed records of the Constitutional Convention—making him the reason we actually know what happened in the room.
James Madison
The "Birthplace of American Independence" is the same place where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Philadelphia, PA
In the early 1800s, communities celebrated Independence Day by listening to public readings of this document before heading to a feast.
Declaration of Independence
Before becoming president, this man was a Hollywood actor—making him America's original celebrity politician.
This U.S. president had his body stolen after death and held for ransom by grave robbers.
Abraham Lincoln
Roughly this many Founding Fathers actively served in the Continental Army or militia during the American Revolutionary War.
about 50
This is the year the current 50-star U.S. flag was officially adopted after Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union.
1960
By the late 1800s, this smoky cooking style had become the centerpiece of many Independence Day celebrations across the South and Midwest.
Barbecue
This president was the first to have a phone installed in the Oval Office—but during his presidency, no one else in the world had the number, so it barely rang.
Rutherford B. Hayes
This president survived an assassination attempt and continued giving a speech with a bullet lodged in his chest.
Theodore Roosevelt
If the Declaration of Independence had a Word Doc owner, it would've been this Founding Father, who wrote most of it.
Thomas Jefferson
This country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886.
France
Around the turn of the 20th century, Americans celebrated the Fourth by setting off so many personal fireworks that the holiday earned this dangerous nickname.
The Safe and Sane Movement
In 1903 alone, over 4,000 people were injured and hundreds died from Fourth of July celebrations. That's why many cities started banning personal fireworks.
This president was a licensed bartender before entering politics.
Abraham Lincoln
This invention dramatically changed communication in the 1800s and was first demonstrated publicly in 1844 with a message sent from Washington to Baltimore.
The Telegraph
Long before he was "not throwing away his shot," this Founding Father became the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury and built America's financial system.
Alexander Hamilton
This man wrote the lyrics that later became “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
Francis Scott Key
In the 1800s, politicians often celebrated the Fourth of July by treating entire towns to this free beverage to win over voters.
Alcohol (typically beer and whiskey)
This president won a Grammy Award years after leaving office.
Barack Obama
This Cold War-era government program used universities, hospitals, and military sites to study interrogation and psychological influence methods.
MKUltra