Happy Independence Day from Winn Technology Group. Here are some fun facts to help you celebrate the Fourth of July! Stay safe and enjoy!

1. “Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Four others were also on the committee: Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Robert Livingston.”

2. “Congress made Independence Day an official unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870. In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.”

3. “There were 2.5 million people living in the newly independent US on July 4, 1776, compared with 2019's population of about 330 million, according to the US Census Bureau.”

4. “Americans typically eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, “enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times,” according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.”

5. “Not everyone was on board with celebrating on July 4, the day Congress approved the Declaration. John Adams wanted to celebrate on July 2, the day Congress voted for independence.”

6. “The first Independence Day celebrations actually took place on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia. It featured a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, announced by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.”

7. “Some people think the idea of marking major events with fireworks originated with Founding Father John Adams. In a letter to his wife and political advisor, Abigail, he suggested that "illuminations" be part of the future Independence Day celebrations, the first of which was held in 1777.”

8. “In addition to fireworks, military cannons and live gunfire were a big part of early Fourth of July festivities. It's important to remember that the United States was at war with Great Britain on and off until 1815, when America finally won the War of 1812. Fourth of July celebrations would have served as military morale-boosters for wearied soldiers and citizens.”

9. “Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a Turkey. He said the bald eagle is a bird of bad moral character, the turkey is a more respectable bird.”

10. “Eighty-five years before the government recognized Fourth of July as a federal holiday, one tradition began that continues to this day. Billed as "America's Oldest Fourth of July Celebration," the town of Bristol, Rhode Island, has been doing Independence Day right since 1785.”