Today is that most American of holidays — Independence Day, celebrating the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Across the country, from San Francisco to Savannah, there will be parades, concerts, barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. The World’s Greatest Lizard Race will be held in Lovington, New Mexico and in Lavallette, New Jersey, a band will play along with a huge fireworks display, enjoyed by thousands from their boats. Shortly after the U.S. gained its independence, the median age of its population was around 16. Now, the median age is the highest in history — just over 37 years. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
The night before the Fourth was once the focal point of celebrations, marked by raucous gatherings often incorporating bonfires as their centerpiece. In New England, towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from hogsheads and barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall, to usher in the celebration. The highest were in Salem, Massachusetts (on Gallows Hill, the famous site of the execution of 13 women and 6 men for witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem witch trials, where the tradition of bonfires in celebration had persisted), composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels; these are the tallest bonfires ever recorded. The custom flourished in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and is still practiced in some New England towns.
Read more about our Independnce Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day
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