Independence Day, in the United States, the annual celebration of nationhood held on July 4. It commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This document announced the separation of the 13 North American colonies from Great Britain. In 1870 the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal workers, and in 1938 it became a paid federal holiday. Also called the Fourth of July, the holiday is celebrated across the United States with parades, fireworks shows, picnics, concerts, and other festivities. Independence Day is also notable for its displays of patriotism, as many Americans commemorate the day by flying the American flag and dressing in the flag’s colors of red, white, and blue. (Source: Brittanica)

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress. The document announced the 
separation of the 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. The vote actually took place on July 2 and was approved by 12 colonies (with New York abstaining).

Interesting 4th of July Facts Every American Should Know

• When the Declaration of Independence was signed, 2.5 million people were living in the newly free nation. That’s about the population of Houston now. In 2020, the United States had a population of about 332 million.
  
• The U.S. motto “E pluribus unum” (Latin for “Out of many, one”) was suggested by the Founding Fathers committee on July 4, 1776.
  
• More than $300 million in fireworks are imported into the U.S. annually.
  
• Sixty percent of all fireworks injuries occur during the month surrounding July 4.
  
• Thomas Jefferson designed his own portable writing desk to pen the Declaration of Independence. He used it throughout the rest of his life until giving it to his granddaughter in 1825.
  
• The two youngest people to sign the Declaration of Independence were Thomas Lynch Jr. and Edward Rutledge, both 26, and both from South Carolina. The oldest was Benjamin Franklin, 70.
  
• Americans eat 155 million hot dogs on July 4th.
  
• Three presidents died on July 4th: Declaration signers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. Adams and Jefferson actually died on the same day: July 4, 1826. It was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
  
• For the annual celebration of Independence Day on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the National Park Service installs 18,000 feet of chain-link fencing, 14,000 feet of bike racks, and nearly 350 portable toilets.

(Source: Military.com)