#1 “Yankee Doodle,” one of many patriotic songs in the United States, was originally sung prior to the Revolution by British military officers who mocked the unorganized and buckskin-wearing ‘Yankees’ with whom they fought during the French and Indian War.

#2 The “Star Spangled Banner” wasn’t written until Francis Scott Key wrote it in 1814, when the British relentlessly attacked Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. It was later put to music and not decreed the official National Anthem of the United States until 1931.

#3 Three U.S. presidents actually died on July 4. Two of them passed away within hours of each other on July 4, 1826: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The two had been political rivals and then friends later in life. The other to share the distinction was James Monroe, who died July 4, 1831.

#4 The Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was initially adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, but then it was revised and the final version was adopted two days later.

#5 The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men representing the 13 colonies. Charles Carrol was the only Catholic and the only non-Mason.

Derived from: Little-Known Fourth of July Facts