Spotlight: On
July 4, 1776, the
Second Continental Congress adopted its
Declaration of Independence from Britain. With that, the
United States of America was born. US President
Calvin Coolidge was born on this date in 1872, and three presidents died on this date:
John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson, in 1826, and
James Monroe, in 1831. The
Statue of Liberty was presented to the US in Paris on this date in 1884 and
Katherine Lee Bates published "
America the Beautiful" on July 4, 1895. And on this date in 1960, America's current fifty-state
flag was first waved, as
Hawaii had achieved statehood the previous summer.
Quote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." — Declaration of Independence
Question of the Day: When was the Fourth of July declared a national holiday?The first official state celebration of the Fourth of July as recognized under resolve of a legislature occurred in Massachusetts in 1781. Boston was the first municipality (city/town) to officially designate July 4th as a holiday, in 1783.
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Onion
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Word of the day: onion snow
n.
Chiefly Pennsylvania.
A light snow in late spring, after onions have been planted.
(© Houghton Mifflin Company)
This week we'll look at some phrases that take their names from produce.
Today's History:
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Walden Pond
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Today's Birthdays:
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
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