Fourth of July - Let's Celebrate !!Here in the United States INDEPENDENCE DAY, most commonly called The FOURTH OF JULY is a national holiday . It is a celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It signifies our independence from Great Britain. When you think of the 4th of July you usually picture a family picnic followed by fireworks, fairs, and a good time! Here are some fun facts that I ran across on the government website (www.census.gov): 2.5 million In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 $3.0 million In 2009, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.5 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. Source: Foreign Trade Statistics $920,277 Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2009. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $333,882 worth. Source: Foreign Trade Statistics $301.5 million Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufacturers, according to the latest published economic census data. Source: 2007 Economic Census $209 million The value of fireworks imported from China in 2009, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $42.9 million in 2009, with the United Arab Emirates purchasing more than any other country ($14.5 million). Source: Foreign Trade Statistics 31 Number of places nationwide with 'liberty' in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2008 is Liberty, MO. (30,568) Sources: Population estimates More than 1 in 4 The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 18.9 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2010. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation's total. North Carolina (9.1 million) and Minnesota (7.2 million) were the runners-up. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 6.5 billion pounds Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2008. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.6 billion pounds) or Kansas (3.9 billion pounds). Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service About 1 in 3 The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 34 percent of the nation's dry, edible beans in 2009. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York together accounted for 66 percent of the fresh market sweet corn produced nationally in 2009. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 76 million Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day. Source: Mediamark Research & Intelligence, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010 WHO KNEW!! Check out the Free Patterns tab for free 'Flag' craft ideas for young and old alike! Take your Flag to the parade and wave them high!!
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