Independence Day Trivia

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, and set 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. Parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country mark the American holiday. Here are some statistics, numbers and other information about the Fourth of July:

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970

313.9 million
The nation’s estimated population on this July Fourth. Source: Population clock

Flags

$3.6 million
In 2011, the dollar value of American flags imported into the United States. The vast majority of this amount, $3.3 million, was for U.S. flags made in China. Source: Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www and http://www.usatradeonline.gov

$663,071
Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2011. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $80,349 worth. Source: Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www and http://www.usatradeonline.gov

$302.7 million
Dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation’s manufacturers in 2007, according to the latest published economic census statistics. Source: 2007 Economic Census, Series EC0731SP1, Products and Services Code 3149998231

Fireworks

$232.3 million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2011, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($223.4 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $15.8 million in 2011, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($4.5 million). Source: Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www and http://www.usatradeonline.gov

$231.8 million
The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics, including flares, igniters, etc., in 2007. Source: 2007 Economic Census, Series EC0731SP1, Products and Services Code 325998J108

Patriotic-Sounding Place Names  

• Thirty-one places have “liberty” in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, was Liberty, MO: 29,149. Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
• Thirty-five places have “eagle” in their names. The most populous: Eagle Pass, TX, 26,248.
• Eleven places have “independence” in their names. The most populous: one is Independence, MO, 116,830.
• Nine places have “freedom” in their names. The most populous: New Freedom, PA, 4,464.
• One place has “patriot” in its name: Patriot, IN, 209.
• Five places have “America” in their names. The most populous: American Fork, UT, 26,263.

Source: American FactFinder

Early Presidential Last Names

138
Ranking of the frequency of the surname of our first president, George Washington, among all last names tabulated in the 2000 Census. Other early presidential names that appear on the list, along with their ranking: Adams, 39; Jefferson, 594; Madison, 1,209 and Monroe, 567. Source: Census 2000 Genealogy http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/freqnames2k.html

The British are Coming!

$107.1 billion
Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today. Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

Fourth of July Cookouts

Almost 1 in 3
The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.7 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2012. This estimate represents almost one-third of the nation’s estimated total. North Carolina, 8.6 million, and Minnesota, 7.6 million were also homes to large numbers of pigs. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

7.2 billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2011. 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 billion pounds. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

6
Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was estimated at $1 billion or greater between December 2010 and November 2011. 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. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

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 2011. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service