Fun Facts About the Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July. Today we honor our nation on the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

St. Charles County has a wide selection of events to celebrate America today. Looking for something to do? . Just remember, don't shoot any

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.

In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly
independent nation was 2.5 million, according to the Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970. This July 4, the population of the United States is 311.7 million.

Flags

• $3.2 million — In 2010, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.8 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. 
• $486,026 — Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2010. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $256,407 worth. 
• $302.7 million — Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufacturers, according to the latest published economic census data.

Fireworks

• $190.7 million — The value of fireworks imported from China in 2010, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($197.3 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $37.0 million in 2010, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($6.3 million).
• $231.8 million — The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007.                                

Fourth of July Cookouts

• More than 1 in 4 — The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.0 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2011. This estimate represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s estimated total. North Carolina (8.6 million) and Minnesota (7.6 million) were also homes to large numbers of pigs.
• 6.8 billion pounds — Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2010. 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 (4.1 billion pounds)
• Six — Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was $1 billion or greater between December 2009 and November 2010. 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.
• Over 1 in 3 — The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 36 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2010. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York together accounted for 68 percent of the fresh market sweet corn produced nationally in 2010.
• 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 2010.
• More than three-fourths — Amount of the nation’s head lettuce production in 2010 that came from California. This lettuce may end up in your salad or on your burger.
• 7 in 10 — The chances that the fresh tomatoes in your salad came from Florida or California, which combined accounted for 71 percent of U.S. fresh market tomato production last year.
• Florida — The state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (750 million pounds). Other leading producers of this popular fruit included California, Georgia and Texas, each had an estimate of more than 600 million pounds.
• 81 million — Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.

Sources:

• Foreign Trade Statistics
• http://www.usatradeonline.gov
• 2007 Economic Census, Series EC0731SP1, Products and Services Code
• http://www.census.gov/econ/census07
• www.census.gov
• http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/HogsPigs/HogsPigs-03-25-2011.pdf
• http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/MeatAnimPr/MeatAnimPr-04-28-2011.pdf
• http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/PoulProdVa/PoulProdVa-04-28-2011.pdf
• http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProdSu/CropProdSu-01-12-2011_new_format.pdf
• http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/VegeSumm/VegeSumm-01-27-2011.pdf
• Mediamark Research & Intelligence