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5 Things You Didn't Know About the Fourth of July

It has to be about more than fireworks and grilling, right? Here are five facts about the birth of our country that you may not have learned in school.

It may be hard to believe, but the Fourth of July is about more than grilling hot dogs and donning your best red, white and blue.

From your days in elementary school, you may remember a bit about the Founding Fathers, but National Geographic offers five facts about the Fourth of July that even the biggest history buffs might not know.

  • Parties since the beginning: While the signing of the Declaration of Independence was soon followed by war with England, America was celebrating its official break early on in its history, even inviting other countries to the cookout. In 1778, while George Washington was celebrating with his troops in Princeton, NJ, Benjamin Frankin was throwing a bash in Paris for American expatriates and French elites.
  • Fireworks across the globe: The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates that more than 14,000 fireworks displays light up American skies each Fourth of July. But celebrations aren't confined to the U.S. In 1934, American explorer Richard Byrd set off fireworks on the Fourth of July from his base in Antarctica in a storm during which temperatures reached 33 degrees below zero.
  • Outdated traditions: Independence Days in the 19th century featured noisy artillery salutes, with explosives left over from various wars shot off throughout the day. The practice was abandoned as cannons fell into disrepair. Early Independence Days also featured a lot of red, white, blue and ... green? Started by George Washington and his troops, early American soldiers wore green in their caps on the Fourth of July.
  • Gluttony as the new American tradition: You may eat one hot dog on the Fourth of July, maybe even two or three. One July 4, 2010, American Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes during the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held every year on Independence Day at Coney Island in New York. According to National Geographic, the tradition began when a group of immigrants wanted to prove their patriotism.
  • Are we celebrating on the wrong day? According to many historians, the first Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, though they finally finished the written document — the Declaration of Independence — on July 4. Signing of the declaration didn't begin until August. Americans, however, have celebrated on the Fourth of July ever since, even before the U.S. government declared it a national holiday in 1941.

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