Happy Independence Day form Lion & Lamb Photo! Hope everyone has a great day with their families celebrating the birth of our great nation!
Here are some fun facts about the 4th of July from Census.gov:
On this day in 1776,
the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress,
setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As
always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and
backyard barbecues across the country.
2.5 million
In July 1776, the
estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
313.9 million
The nation's
estimated population on this July Fourth.
$3.6 million
In 2011, the dollar
value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.3
million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
$663,071
Dollar value of U.S.
flags exported in 2011. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $80,349
worth.
$302.7 million
Dollar value of
shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's
manufacturers in 2007, according to the latest published economic census
statistics.
$223.6 million
The value of
fireworks imported from China in 2011, representing the bulk of all U.S.
fireworks imported ($232.5 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison,
came to just $15.8 million in 2011, with Australia purchasing more than any
other country ($4.5 million).
$231.8 million
The value of U.S.
manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares,
igniters, etc.) in 2007.
Patriotic-Sounding Place Names
Thirty-one places
have “liberty” in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, was
Liberty, Mo. (29,149). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other
state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
Thirty-five places
have “eagle” in their names. The most populous one is Eagle Pass, Texas, with a
population of 26,248.
Eleven places have
“independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo., with
a population of 116,830.
Nine places have
“freedom” in their names. The most populous one is New Freedom, Pa., with a
population of 4,464.
One place has
“patriot” in its name. Patriot, Ind., has a population of 209.
Five places have
“America” in their names. The most populous is American Fork, Utah, with a
population of 26,263.
138
Ranking of the
frequency of the surname of our first president, George Washington, among all
last names tabulated in the 2000 Census. Other early presidential names that
appear on the list, along with their ranking, were Adams (39), Jefferson (594),
Madison (1,209) and Monroe (567).
$107.1 billion
Dollar value of trade
last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British,
our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.
Almost 1 in 3
The chance that the
hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa.
The Hawkeye State was home to 19.7 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2012. This
estimate represents almost one-third of the nation's estimated total. North
Carolina (8.6 million) and Minnesota (7.6 million) were also homes to large
numbers of pigs.
7.2 billion pounds
Total production of
cattle and calves in Texas in 2011. 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 (4.0 billion pounds).
6
Number of states in
which the value of broiler chicken production was estimated at $1 billion or
greater between December 2010 and November 2011. There is a good chance that
one of these states — Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi
or Texas — is the source of your barbecued chicken.
Please Pass the Potato
Potato salad and
potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Approximately
half of the nation's spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington state in 2011.
