Happy July 4th! This year we celebrate 250 years of independence, often referred to as the “Semiquincentennial.” The national initiative, established to lead the celebration in 2026, is branded as America250. See https://america250.org/.
Some background… The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, voted for the independence of the United Colonies by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776. The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Committee of Five member Thomas Jefferson was proclaimed on July 4, the date on which our anniversary of independence is observed.
There were no major government-sponsored 50th anniversary observances on July 4, 1826, which was the day that the Founding Fathers and former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.
In 1876, the United States organized nationwide centennial observances centered on the Centennial Exposition (officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine) in Philadelphia. It was held in Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River on fairgrounds designed by Herman J. Schwartzmann. Nearly 10 million visitors attended the exposition, and 37 countries participated in it. In 1926, a Sesquicentennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia, and in 1976, bicentennial observations were held throughout the country.
In honor of our anniversary, I’ve captured some interesting trivia regarding both the Declaration of Independence and the original 13 colonies. See the articles on pages 31 and 44.
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Our neighbors to the north are also celebrating their independence this month… specifically on July 1. Happy Canada Day! So, how about a little Canadian trivia in their honor? How many of these do you know?
• The name “Canada” is an Indian word meaning “village.”
• The province of Quebec makes about 73 % of the global supply of maple syrup.
• Approximately 60% of all natural lakes in the world are located in Canada. According to the World Atlas, there are an astonishing 31,752 lakes in Canada that are greater than three square kilometers in size; 561 lakes have a surface area larger than 100 square kilometers. That’s a lot of fresh water!
• A Canadian pharmacist, Marcellus Gilmore Edson, patented a method to turn roasted peanuts into peanut butter in 1884.
• Canada has 2,860 ice hockey rinks, twice as many as the United States.
• Named after the Norse god of thunder, Nunavut’s Mount Thor features the world’s tallest vertical drop at a whopping 1.25 kilometers (4,100 feet). It’s located on Baffin Island.
• Hawaiian pizza was created by Sam Panapoulos in London, Ontario, in 1962 He had a hunch that the sweet pineapple and savory ham would go well together. Who knew?
• The 2010 Olympic men’s hockey final was the most watched broadcast in Canadian history. Some 16.6 million Canadians watched Team Canada clinch the gold medal.
• One of the least surprising facts about Canada is that it can get pretty cold in the winter. As a matter of fact, the lowest ever temperature was recorded on February 3, 1947 in Snag, Yukon: -63 C (-81.4 F). That’s roughly the same temperature as the surface of Mars!
• Lastly, Canadians eat 1 billion doughnuts a year. Thanks, Tim Hortons.
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I’ve heard rumors and grumblings about the difficulty some of you have reading BTP on your cell phone. A piece of advice: if you have an iPad, PLEASE consider reading the issue on that. The screen is larger, and way easier to read. On either device, please know there’s an option for you to download this issue (or any prior issue) as a PDF (Adobe) for viewing, rather than using a web browser. Simply click the downward arrow icon (#3 below) to download the magazine as a PDF on your laptop, iPad, or cell phone. The PDF version shows one page at a time (vs. the two pages you see side by side “on line”). It’s then far easier to scroll down, page by page, and enlarge any to see photos, etc. closer up. Try it, you’ll like it!
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Should you have an article to submit for the August issue, my deadline is July 4. Postcards are always welcome! Please email to [email protected].
