July 4th Trivia and the Week’s Headlines - “The Sunday Political Brunch” -- July 4, 2026

Happy 250th birthday, USA! It is the long Fourth of July weekend, so we’ll dispense with the serious politics at the beginning of this article, but we’ll get to the news headlines later. Instead, we’ll share some fun facts and trivia about our country’s birthday and heritage. I first published this on July 4, 2013, and have updated it since - and it's one of my most popular columns! Enjoy!

“Double Vision” – Not only did both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson sign the Declaration of Independence, but they also later became Presidents of the United States. But the most interesting coincidence they shared is that they both died within hours of each other on July 4th, 1826. The two were bitter rivals who disliked each other. Legend has it that Adams's last words were, “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” But it wasn’t true. His arch-rival beat him to the punch, having died five hours before Adams.

“Three's a Crowd?” – Oddly enough, Adams and Jefferson were not the only Presidents to die on the 4th of July. James Monroe, our nation’s fifth President, died on July 4, 1831. So, the second, third, and fifth Presidents all died on the 4th, and all are counted among our "Founding Fathers.” What are the odds?

“Happy 2nd of July!” – In truth, the Declaration of Independence was actually approved on July 2, 1776, but was not published in the newspaper until July 4. John Adams still wanted all the
celebrations on the 2nd, but was overruled.

“A Signature Moment” – Everyone knows John Hancock’s famous bold signature. In truth, he was the first and only one actually to sign the document on July 4th. It took another month to collect the signatures of the other 56 people who approved it.

“Around the Globe” – July 4th is not just a tradition in the U.S. People have celebrated it, in one way or another, on every continent. In 1934, American explorer Richard Byrd and his crew set off fireworks in Antarctica, even though it was 34 degrees below zero!

“Paint the Town Green!” – For many of the early years, red, white, and blue were not the tradition. Colored fabric was rare and expensive in the early days of our nation, so there weren’t
many flags. Instead, people used greenery to decorate their homes and towns in celebration.

“Happy Birthday, America, and…” – The nation may celebrate its birthday on the Fourth of July, but also born on July 4th were our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, and former "First Daughter," Malia Obama.

“God Bless…Kate Smith?” – Famed songwriter Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” for a play he was scoring in 1918, but the tune was dropped from the production. It sat on his shelf collecting dust for the next 20 years. In 1938, singer Kate Smith asked Berlin if he had any patriotic songs she could sing for Armistice Day (now Veterans Day). Berlin handed her “God Bless America! The rest, they say, is history!

“Birthright Citizenship Survives” – As I have predicted for months, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. That’s the 14th Amendment language that says that if you’re born on U.S. property, you’re automatically a citizen. While I predicted a possible 9-0 or 8-1 vote, in the end it was 6-3. My argument is that an executive order can’t simply revoke a Constitutional Amendment. You’d have to pass a repealer as we did with the Prohibition Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, saying, "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community." He added that the 14th Amendment extended that promise to every free-born person in the country and that "we keep that promise today." On Truth Social, Trump called the ruling "too bad for our Country." Justice Roberts was joined by the court's three liberal justices, as well as conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“Transgender Sports” – On a 6-3 vote along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to uphold laws in about half of the states that ban transgender male athletes from competing in women’s sports. Since I was a reporter in West Virginia for a decade, I was quite familiar with this case surrounding 16-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson, who was born biologically male but identifies as female and is taking medicine to help transition. The sophomore at Bridgeport High came in first place in the shot-put event at the state high school track meet this year. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, saying, “states may maintain women’s and girls’ sports for biological females” to address safety and competitive fairness concerns. Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke for the dissenting opinion, saying, “We just simply do not know scientifically that transgender students pose dangers.” It’s unclear how the ruling will affect states such as California, which allow transgender athletes to compete in the gender to which they identify.

“2026 GOP Convention” – In an unprecedented move, President Trump is calling on the Republican Party to hold a midterm national convention this September in Dallas. Normally, national nominating conventions occur only in years when a presidential race is on the ballot. But with Republicans holding a thin three-seat majority in the U.S. Senate and a five-vote majority in the U.S. House, there are serious concerns they could lose control of one or both chambers. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “We will also have lots of Great Entertainment — It will be a RALLY like none other!” Texas Democrats called the idea a “political circus.” But it certainly points to a contested U.S. Senate race between Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), Texas, and Rep. James Talarico (D), Texas, a red-state seat many Democrats believe they can win.

“Bowling Into Famous People” – Last week, I wrote of my strange encounter as I ran down a White House sidewalk, but was looking behind me. I slammed into Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and his wife, NBC News Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, knocking both to the ground. They were mad at me, but uninjured as we were all leaving the annual White House Press Picnic. On my West Virginia MetroNews radio show last week, I teased that I also barreled into two other famous people, one of them one of the tiniest in the world, and the other one of the largest. Let’s start with the “big guy.” I was attending pro wrestling at the Milwaukee Arena, and snuck me and my cold beer cup into the ringside seats, even though I bought a cheap seat in the rafters. A suspicious ringside usher demanded to see my ticket stub and asked for ID. He sternly said, “You don’t look old enough to drink beer!” He was right. I was only 15. I stood up and took off running, out of the arena and into the ramp area where they walk the wrestlers in with police security. Just like at the White House, I was running forward, but looking behind me. All of a sudden, it felt like I slammed into a brick wall, and I fell to the pavement, I looked straight up at 7’4”, 520 pound, “Andre the Giant” who was cursing me in French. Not only did I hit the pavement, I spilled a nearly full cup of beer all over him, especially on his wrestling trunks. It looked like he “peed himself!” He probably could have killed me on the spot, but he was on the way to the ring for his match. I jumped up, took off running, and no one caught me. I made it to my rafter seat in time to watch Andre wrestle!

“RBG and Me” – In June of 1993, I was a Congressional Fellow, detailed to work in the House and Senate. It was a program that offered news reporters a chance to see, from the “front rows,” how our laws and policies were made. I spent the previous seven months working for then Rep. Charles Schumer (D) New York, who is now the Senate Minority Leader. I was offered the chance to spend the final six months of my fellowship in the Office of Sen. Herb Kohl (D) Wisconsin, scion of the department store chain, and a family friend. Kohl was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was about to begin hearings on confirming Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Supreme Court. Because of my strong background in legal and criminal journalism, I was detailed to the committee to help. Fast forward to the packed committee room, and we needed to take a break. And, once again, I walked forward through the chamber heading north, but talking to someone south over my shoulder. Boom! I just ran into Judge Ginsburg and her husband. She stood just 5 feet tall! Fortunately, he was behind her and caught her before she hit the floor. She was so tiny, and reminded me of that famous kid’s game, “WeeblesS wobble, but we don’t fall down!” I apologized and introduced myself. They were so kind and gracious. The room was chaotic. Thank God I did not get fired, and for her, the rest is history!

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics nationwide for the past 49 years. He is a multiple award winner, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards. Most recently, he served as the Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations, covering West Virginia and its five neighboring states, as well as the Washington, DC media market. Curtis is a former Congressional Fellow who worked in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Over the years, he has been a contributing writer and analyst at Patch.com and other outlets, including GoLocalProv.com. His commentary and analysis can be heard every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

© 2026 and © 2013 Mark Curtis Media