American Patriotic Triva, Part 2; Let's Hear It For the Fourth of July!!

A day late for more patriotic trivia but there's lots to go around. Here's a few more facts about why it's great to be an American!

American Patriotic Towns and Cities

• 31 places nationwide have "liberty" in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Missouri. Iowa, with four, has more towns than any other state.
• There is a small town named Patriot in Indiana with a population of roughly 200 people.
• Five places have the name "freedom." Freedom, California has the largest population
• Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The largest city with the word "Independence" is Independence, Missouri
• There are five towns in the country using the name 'America' with the most populous being American Fork, Utah.

Flag Etiquette and Trivia

• The American flag should be displayed between sunrise and sunset, unless there is a light to shine on the flag in order to illuminate it in darkness. In that case, it can be on display all day and night. However, the flag should be taken in during inclement weather.
• The flag's folded, triangular shape represents the tri-cornered hats of the colonial soldiers during the Revolutionary War
• The proper method of disposal of a tattered, worn flag is usually by burning.
• The American flag should never meet the ground, the floor, or water.
• An upside-down American flag is used to signal distress.
• The first American flag look like had 13 stripes and 13 stars.
• $3.2 million American flags were imported in 2010 with more than half of this amount was for U.S. flags made in China.
• 50 U.S. flags are flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Monument in Washington DC. Other places where American flags are flown continuously include Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland; the United States Marine Corp Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, Virginia; on the Battle Green in Lexington, Massachusetts; and over the White House in our nation's capitol.

The Liberty Bell

• After being ordered from England and arriving at Independence Hall in February 1753, the bell was hung on March 10, 1753. The sound was tested for the first time then, and because of the flaws in the casting, it cracked.
• The Liberty Bell was rung on July 8th to announce that the Declaration of Independence had been adopted.
• About 1.5 million tourists visit the Liberty Bell every year.

The Declaration of Independence

• The Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia.
• The Declaration of Independence starts with 'When in the course of human events…'
• John Hancock's signature on the Declaration of Independence is the largest.
• In 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, there were 1.5 million people in the colonies.
• Delegates didn't begin signing the Declaration of Independence until August 2, 1776.
• Right after the Liberty Bell rang in Independence Hall, Colonel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence to the public for the first time.
• The Signers of the Declaration of Independence were: Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott // Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean // Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton // Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone // Massachusetts: Charles Carroll, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry // New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton // New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark // New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris // North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn // Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross // Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery // South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton // Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

How we celebrate

• Fireworks were invented in China during the 12th century in order to ward off evil spirits. The United States imports fireworks from China every year for 4th of July celebrations. The value of fireworks imported from China was approximately $37 million in 2010.
• More than 81 million Americans say they have taken part in a barbecue last year with most of these events taking place on the Fourth of July.
• Although there is no fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, traditional favorites are hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips, watermelon and apple pie. Over 150 million hot dogs are consumed on each 4th of July.

Miscellaneous Trivia

• The star of the 1996 movie Independence Day was Will Smith.
• The Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall.
• The national bird is the bald eagle, even though Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey.
• The national flower is the rose.
• Presidents James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams each died on a 4th of July.Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, had a July 4th birthday.
• The 4th of July become a national holiday in 1941.
• Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem.