🇺🇸 4th of July Trivia - Mind-Blowing Independence Day Secrets That Will Shock Your Family

🔴hard

Which state legislature first made July 4 an official state holiday in 1781?

🟡medium

Which signer wrote his name first and most boldly on the Declaration?

🟡medium

Which United States march by John Philip Sousa often appears in July parades with bright brass?

🔴hard

Which naval ship in Boston once served as a backdrop for July concerts that ended with fireworks over the harbor?

🟢easy

Who is credited with drafting the first major version of the Declaration of Independence?

🔴hard

Which lighthouse near Boston was illuminated for early Independence festivities with signal lanterns seen miles away?

🟡medium

What type of aerial effect looks like a golden palm tree during a fireworks finale?

🟡medium

Whose diary recorded fireworks and a parade in Philadelphia on July 4 1777 marking the first anniversary?

🟡medium

Which borough on the southern tip of Brooklyn hosts the famous July 4 eating contest on Surf Avenue?

🔴hard

Who was the assistant clerk and skilled penman who likely wrote the engrossed parchment copy signed in August 1776?

🟢easy

What do many people spread on blankets to watch the night show on Independence Day?

🟢easy

What activity hosts a famous hot dog eating contest on July 4 at Coney Island?

🟡medium

Which president hosted an early twentieth century July 4 fireworks show on the White House grounds?

🟡medium

Which river hosts one of the largest July 4 fireworks shows seen from the National Mall?

🟢easy

What do many communities do before fireworks to reduce fire risk in parks?

🟢easy

Which item waves from porches coast to coast on Independence Day?

🟢easy

What common summer fruit is sliced at many Independence Day picnics?

🟢easy

Which United States branch of the military often performs flyovers at July 4 celebrations?

🔴hard

Which colonial artillery park in New York fired salutes after Washington had the Declaration read to troops on July 9 1776?

🟡medium

Which future president was born on July 4 1872 in Vermont?

🟢easy

Which sweet frozen dessert is popular during hot Independence Day afternoons?

🔴hard

Which early American painter depicted the presentation of the draft to Congress in a canvas later placed in the Capitol rotunda?

🔴hard

What was the exact title of the printed sheet produced the night of July 4 1776 that first spread the Declaration to readers?

🟢easy

Which US founding document begins with the words We hold these truths to be self evident?

🟢easy

Which large gathering with floats and bands is common on the morning of July 4?

🟡medium

What famous phrase follows We hold these truths to be self evident in the Declaration?

🟢easy

Which state was home to the hall where delegates met in 1776?

🟡medium

Which colonial tavern in Philadelphia served as a gathering place for patriots around July 1776?

🔴hard

Which historic fort on Lake Erie holds a July celebration with musket volleys and reading of the Declaration?

🔴hard

Which early city ordinance in the 1780s restricted throwing crackers in streets during Independence festivities?

🟢easy

Which common backyard fire safety item should be present during home fireworks?

🟢easy

Which fireworks effect opens like a huge glittering circle in the sky?

🟢easy

Which beverage in a cooler is a picnic staple on a hot July afternoon?

🔴hard

Which engraver created the 1819 facsimile of the Declaration that later protected the fading original by limiting display?

🟢easy

Which outdoor lawn game involves tossing bags toward a raised board?

🟡medium

Which Boston harbor fireworks tradition moved to the Esplanade with orchestral music in the twentieth century?

🟡medium

Which European city held early July American Society dinners honoring independence for expatriates?

🔴hard

Which early American periodical published an 1817 essay explaining why July 4 should be a civic rather than partisan festival?

🟡medium

Which island in New York Bay held celebratory bonfires and later immigration arrivals close to July holidays?

🟡medium

Which national park near Philadelphia preserves meadows used for early patriotic gatherings?

🟡medium

In early national years many cities marked independence with what thunderous midday ritual?

🟡medium

Which western national monument sometimes holds July illumination programs on towering stone figures?

🟢easy

Which summer month contains Independence Day?

🟡medium

Which fireworks safety group advises keeping a garden hose or bucket ready at home displays?

🟡medium

What fireworks device traditionally begins a show with a rapid series of small bursts?

🟡medium

Which American poem by Katharine Lee Bates became a July staple when set to music by Samuel Ward?

🟡medium

Which western city fires shells over a high mountain lake creating reflections that double the sparkle?

🟡medium

Which broadside of the Declaration with ornamental design became a popular keepsake in the early 1800s?

🟢easy

What familiar sweet treat is often served at July 4 picnics with grill favorites?

🟡medium

What building in Philadelphia is the site where the Continental Congress adopted independence?

🟡medium

On what date was the Declaration first publicly read to crowds in Philadelphia?

🔴hard

Which early American printer paired July orations with printed programs that listed toasts and songs for town feasts?

🔴hard

Which New York newspaper reported soldiers pulling down a lead statue of King George after hearing the Declaration on July 9 1776?

🔴hard

Which river confluence in Pittsburgh became a prime fireworks site with shells mirrored on two waterways?

🟢easy

Which document did the Continental Congress approve in 1776 that is the reason Americans celebrate July 4?

🟡medium

Which college town in Massachusetts claims one of the oldest continuous July 4 parades starting in the 1860s?

🟡medium

Which president also died on July 4 in 1831 five years after Adams and Jefferson?

🟡medium

Which colonial newspaper printed the first newspaper copy of the Declaration on July 6 1776?

🟡medium

Which early American orator gave a famous Fourth of July address in 1852 pointing out the meaning of liberty to the enslaved?

🟡medium

Which American river town in the Midwest promotes a long running Red White and Boom show?

🔴hard

Which exact river crossing site in Pennsylvania hosts an annual July reading at the spot of the 1776 Christmas campaign launch?

🟢easy

Which founding father became the first president after independence?

🔴hard

Which colonial coastal city staged July illuminations with transparencies painted on window panes?

🔴hard

Which July 4 oration by statesman Daniel Webster in 1826 honored both Adams and Jefferson immediately after their deaths?

🟡medium

Which museum in Washington displays the parchment of the Declaration in a rotunda for the charters of freedom?

🔴hard

Which specific artillery salute count became customary on national occasions representing the number of states?

🔴hard

Which exact committee of five presented the draft Declaration to Congress in late June 1776?

🔴hard

Which United States statute in 1870 first made July 4 a federal holiday for federal employees in Washington?

🟢easy

What backyard activity writes bright shapes in the air for kids at dusk?

🔴hard

Which city staged a pageant with living flag formations in the early twentieth century for Independence Day?

🔴hard

Which later law in 1941 made Independence Day a paid holiday for all federal workers?

🟢easy

Which group reads the Declaration aloud at many town ceremonies?

🔴hard

Which woman postmaster issued a separate broadside of the Declaration at Baltimore in early 1777 with all signer names?

🔴hard

Which small New Jersey town long claimed the earliest continuous Fourth parade beginning in the 1780s?

🟢easy

What famous bell cracked and is often associated with early July readings in Philadelphia?

🟢easy

Which patriotic song do many bands play during Independence Day events?

🟡medium

Which United States holiday was briefly paired with fireworks restrictions in some cities during wartime blackouts?

🟢easy

On what date is United States Independence Day celebrated each year?

🟢easy

What loud tradition lights up the night sky on Independence Day?

🔴hard

Which United States port staged an elaborate 1788 Federal Procession later echoed in July spectacles with floats for each state?

🟢easy

What type of grill is often used to cook burgers on July 4?

🔴hard

Which signer added a small flourish beneath his name that looks like an ornate underline on the engrossed document?

🔴hard

Which frontier settlement in Kentucky marked early Independence Days with rifle matches and barbecue feasts?

🔴hard

Which regiment fired a thirteen gun salute on July 4 1777 at Morristown to mark the anniversary?

🟡medium

Which flag resolution came earlier on June 14 1777 setting stars and stripes for the United States?

🔴hard

What exact room within Independence Hall hosted the debates over Jeffersons draft?

🔴hard

Which Philadelphia bell was traditionally said to have rung on July 8 1776 to call citizens to the public reading even though records are debated?

🟢easy

Which founding father helped edit Jeffersons draft with quiet but sharp suggestions?

🟢easy

Which founding father had the largest signature on the Declaration?

🔴hard

Which Philadelphia green hosted public dinners and toasts on July 4 in the 1790s under rows of tents?

🟢easy

Which large New York harbor landmark is illuminated during July celebrations?

🔴hard

Which New England town began firing sunrise cannon salutes on Independence Day counted to match the number of states in the Union?

🔴hard

Which federal building in Washington houses Trumbulls painting of the Declaration in a grand circular chamber?

🔴hard

Which precise illumination device created fixed pictures in fire as part of eighteenth century July evenings?

🔴hard

Which secretary of the Congress attested the engrossed parchment of the Declaration in January 1777?

🟡medium

Which New England coastal town rings a chained harbor bell each July 4 as part of maritime ceremonies?

🟡medium

Which two former presidents both died on July 4 1826 the fiftieth anniversary of independence?

🟡medium

Which United States city launched a centennial exposition in 1876 that featured massive July festivities?

🔴hard

Which early fireworks effect with small darts that split mid flight became popular in nineteenth century July shows?

🟢easy

What do many towns launch over lakes or rivers after dark on Independence Day?

🔴hard

Which New York printer published the first Declaration text to appear outside Pennsylvania on July 9 1776?

🟢easy

Which national landmark in South Dakota sometimes hosts July light shows on the carvings?

🔴hard

Which line did Congress strike from Jeffersons draft that condemned the transatlantic slave trade?

🟢easy

Which three colors are on the flag of the United States that people wave on July 4?

🟢easy

Which US capital hosts a big fireworks show over the National Mall?

🔴hard

Which United States city hosted a mammoth centennial parade on July 4 1876 featuring a liberty column float?

🟢easy

Which utensil flips burgers on a grill during a July cookout?

🟢easy

Which president wrote that July 4 would be celebrated with pomp and parade from one end of the continent to the other?

🟢easy

Which classic American tune celebrates purple mountain majesties often sung on July 4?

🟢easy

Which dessert with berries is sometimes arranged to look like the flag?

🟢easy

In which city did delegates vote for independence in July 1776?

🔴hard

What was the print run estimated for the first night copies of the Declaration from John Dunlaps press?

🔴hard

What was the name of the Philadelphia fireworks artist who designed complex set pieces for early July shows in the 1780s?

🟡medium

Which Founders Day oration tradition in small towns often included public readings of what 1776 text?

🟢easy

What do people often paint on their faces during July 4 festivals?

🟢easy

Which large summer food is commonly roasted at Independence Day cookouts?

🟡medium

Which United States city stages a riverfront show called Thunder Over the Bridge on Independence week?

🟡medium

Which committee member helped Jefferson revise the Declaration wording before submission?

🟡medium

Which printer produced the first broadside copies of the Declaration on the night of July 4 1776?

🟡medium

Which US city hosts a long running Independence Day concert called A Capitol Fourth?

🟡medium

Questions (121 of 121)

Which state legislature first made July 4 an official state holiday in 1781?

Which signer wrote his name first and most boldly on the Declaration?

Which United States march by John Philip Sousa often appears in July parades with bright brass?

Which naval ship in Boston once served as a backdrop for July concerts that ended with fireworks over the harbor?

Who is credited with drafting the first major version of the Declaration of Independence?

Which lighthouse near Boston was illuminated for early Independence festivities with signal lanterns seen miles away?

What type of aerial effect looks like a golden palm tree during a fireworks finale?

Whose diary recorded fireworks and a parade in Philadelphia on July 4 1777 marking the first anniversary?

Which borough on the southern tip of Brooklyn hosts the famous July 4 eating contest on Surf Avenue?

Who was the assistant clerk and skilled penman who likely wrote the engrossed parchment copy signed in August 1776?

What do many people spread on blankets to watch the night show on Independence Day?

What activity hosts a famous hot dog eating contest on July 4 at Coney Island?

Which president hosted an early twentieth century July 4 fireworks show on the White House grounds?

Which river hosts one of the largest July 4 fireworks shows seen from the National Mall?

What do many communities do before fireworks to reduce fire risk in parks?

Which item waves from porches coast to coast on Independence Day?

What common summer fruit is sliced at many Independence Day picnics?

Which United States branch of the military often performs flyovers at July 4 celebrations?

Which colonial artillery park in New York fired salutes after Washington had the Declaration read to troops on July 9 1776?

Which future president was born on July 4 1872 in Vermont?

Which sweet frozen dessert is popular during hot Independence Day afternoons?

Which early American painter depicted the presentation of the draft to Congress in a canvas later placed in the Capitol rotunda?

What was the exact title of the printed sheet produced the night of July 4 1776 that first spread the Declaration to readers?

Which US founding document begins with the words We hold these truths to be self evident?

Which large gathering with floats and bands is common on the morning of July 4?

What famous phrase follows We hold these truths to be self evident in the Declaration?

Which state was home to the hall where delegates met in 1776?

Which colonial tavern in Philadelphia served as a gathering place for patriots around July 1776?

Which historic fort on Lake Erie holds a July celebration with musket volleys and reading of the Declaration?

Which early city ordinance in the 1780s restricted throwing crackers in streets during Independence festivities?

Which common backyard fire safety item should be present during home fireworks?

Which fireworks effect opens like a huge glittering circle in the sky?

Which beverage in a cooler is a picnic staple on a hot July afternoon?

Which engraver created the 1819 facsimile of the Declaration that later protected the fading original by limiting display?

Which outdoor lawn game involves tossing bags toward a raised board?

Which Boston harbor fireworks tradition moved to the Esplanade with orchestral music in the twentieth century?

Which European city held early July American Society dinners honoring independence for expatriates?

Which early American periodical published an 1817 essay explaining why July 4 should be a civic rather than partisan festival?

Which island in New York Bay held celebratory bonfires and later immigration arrivals close to July holidays?

Which national park near Philadelphia preserves meadows used for early patriotic gatherings?

In early national years many cities marked independence with what thunderous midday ritual?

Which western national monument sometimes holds July illumination programs on towering stone figures?

Which summer month contains Independence Day?

Which fireworks safety group advises keeping a garden hose or bucket ready at home displays?

What fireworks device traditionally begins a show with a rapid series of small bursts?

Which American poem by Katharine Lee Bates became a July staple when set to music by Samuel Ward?

Which western city fires shells over a high mountain lake creating reflections that double the sparkle?

Which broadside of the Declaration with ornamental design became a popular keepsake in the early 1800s?

What familiar sweet treat is often served at July 4 picnics with grill favorites?

What building in Philadelphia is the site where the Continental Congress adopted independence?

On what date was the Declaration first publicly read to crowds in Philadelphia?

Which early American printer paired July orations with printed programs that listed toasts and songs for town feasts?

Which New York newspaper reported soldiers pulling down a lead statue of King George after hearing the Declaration on July 9 1776?

Which river confluence in Pittsburgh became a prime fireworks site with shells mirrored on two waterways?

Which document did the Continental Congress approve in 1776 that is the reason Americans celebrate July 4?

Which college town in Massachusetts claims one of the oldest continuous July 4 parades starting in the 1860s?

Which president also died on July 4 in 1831 five years after Adams and Jefferson?

Which colonial newspaper printed the first newspaper copy of the Declaration on July 6 1776?

Which early American orator gave a famous Fourth of July address in 1852 pointing out the meaning of liberty to the enslaved?

Which American river town in the Midwest promotes a long running Red White and Boom show?

Which exact river crossing site in Pennsylvania hosts an annual July reading at the spot of the 1776 Christmas campaign launch?

Which founding father became the first president after independence?

Which colonial coastal city staged July illuminations with transparencies painted on window panes?

Which July 4 oration by statesman Daniel Webster in 1826 honored both Adams and Jefferson immediately after their deaths?

Which museum in Washington displays the parchment of the Declaration in a rotunda for the charters of freedom?

Which specific artillery salute count became customary on national occasions representing the number of states?

Which exact committee of five presented the draft Declaration to Congress in late June 1776?

Which United States statute in 1870 first made July 4 a federal holiday for federal employees in Washington?

What backyard activity writes bright shapes in the air for kids at dusk?

Which city staged a pageant with living flag formations in the early twentieth century for Independence Day?

Which later law in 1941 made Independence Day a paid holiday for all federal workers?

Which group reads the Declaration aloud at many town ceremonies?

Which woman postmaster issued a separate broadside of the Declaration at Baltimore in early 1777 with all signer names?

Which small New Jersey town long claimed the earliest continuous Fourth parade beginning in the 1780s?

What famous bell cracked and is often associated with early July readings in Philadelphia?

Which patriotic song do many bands play during Independence Day events?

Which United States holiday was briefly paired with fireworks restrictions in some cities during wartime blackouts?

On what date is United States Independence Day celebrated each year?

What loud tradition lights up the night sky on Independence Day?