8 THINGS: 8 Fun Facts About The Fourth

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, within fi ve hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Americans consume about 150 million hot dogs during the 4th of July holiday.

The Declaration of Independence was written on a laptop—it was a writing desk that could fi t over one’s lap and was referred to at the time as a “laptop.” The average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45; the youngest was 26, and 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin was the oldest.

Thomas Jefferson was reportedly the fi rst American to write an ice cream recipe.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington commemorated July 4th by issuing double the rations of rum to each soldier in the Continental Army. The Liberty Bell cannot be rung. It was declared too fragile after a crack appeared on George Washington’s birthday in 1846, which is the last time it was rung. Independence Day didn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.