Hot Dogs and Fireworks on July 2nd?!?

[size=3>Cookouts, fireworks, and, of course, a chance to wish Uncle Sam a big "happy birthday"—July 4th means summer in full swing across the [/b]Cookouts, fireworks, and, of course, a chance to wish Uncle Sam a big "happy birthday"—July 4th means summer in full swing across the Some July 4th traditions are timeless. Some July 4th traditions are timeless. The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) estimates that more than 14,000 fireworks displays light up U.S. skies each July 4th. [/b]The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) estimates that more than 14,000 fireworks displays light up U.S. skies each July 4th. [/b]Fireworks may be flourishing, but some July 4th traditions have faded. Nineteenth-century July 4ths featured noisy artillery salutes, as explosives left over from various wars were fired all day. The practice faded as cannons aged and fell into disrepair. [/b]ir. [/b]"That was started by George Washington and his troops. Soldiers wore greens in their caps, and buildings were decorated. But as red-white-and-blue paper [became widely available], and the flag became more important, that fell out of favor." [/b]"That was started by George Washington and his troops. Soldiers wore greens in their caps, and buildings were decorated. But as red-white-and-blue paper [became widely available], and the flag became more important, that fell out of favor." [/b]Take Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which will be held for the 95th time on July 4th, 2010. Legend has it that the battle began when a group of recent immigrants wanted to prove their patriotism on the nation's birthday. Today the event is a crown jewel in the world of competitive eating. [/b]Take Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which will be held for the 95th time on July 4th, 2010. Legend has it that the battle began when a group of recent immigrants wanted to prove their patriotism on the nation's birthday. Today the event is a crown jewel in the world of competitive eating. [/b]The second U.S. president had the date wrong, but Heintze maintains that the U.S. really should observe July 2nd—the day Congress voted for independence—as Independence Day. (The signing of the Declaration of Independence didn't begin until August and wasn't complete until November.) [/b]The second U.S. president had the date wrong, but Heintze maintains that the U.S. really should observe July 2nd—the day Congress voted for independence—as Independence Day. (The signing of the Declaration of Independence didn't begin until August and wasn't complete until November.) [/b]"When they took that document to the printer on July 4th, he printed that date on the top. And that was the broadside that was sent out to all of the new states and the generals in the field. It became widely circulated, and July 2nd was forgotten." [/b]"When they took that document to the printer on July 4th, he printed that date on the top. And that was the broadside that was sent out to all of the new states and the generals in the field. It became widely circulated, and July 2nd was forgotten." [/b]But if the date itself has changed, the rest of Adams's Independence Day vision remains on the mark more than two centuries later. [/b]But if the date itself has changed, the rest of Adams's Independence Day vision remains on the mark more than two centuries later. [/b]Taken from National Geographic News – B. Handwerk[/b]Taken from National Geographic News – B. Handwerk[/b]