7.05.2011

ten things tuesday

Ten Independence Day facts: (mostly from the Census Bureau)

1) In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation: 2.5 million.

2) The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth: 311.7 million.

3) Thirty-one places have “liberty” in their names.

4) The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, is Liberty, Mo. (29,149)

5) 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 2010. But we all know Maine Potatoes are the best!

6) Florida is the state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (750 million pounds). Other leading producers of this popular fruit included California, Georgia and Texas, each had an estimate of more than 600 million pounds.

7) In 2010, $3.2 million is the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.8 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.

8) More than 81 million is the number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a large number of these events took place on the Fourth.

9) Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of American independence with a spontaneous celebration, which is described in a letter by John Adams to Abigail Adams. However, observing Independence Day only became commonplace after the War of 1812.

10) Americans spend the same amount on popsicles and charcoal. For July 4th weekend, Americans spend approximately both $111 million on popsicles and charcoal.

2 comments:

The Gal Herself said...

Every time I see anything about Abigail Adams, it just confirms for me that she rocked.

Jennifer said...

I love the last fact. That's hilarious!