Independence Day Trivia: Fun Facts on Fireworks, Flags, Forefathers and Foods

It's time again for some flag-waving fun. Once you've had your fill of hot dogs and apple pie and are sitting around waiting for the fireworks display to start, here are some fun bits of trivia you can use to entertain your friends and family.

The only place where the flag is never flown at half-mast is the moon.

Someone who specializes in the history of flags is called a vexillologist.

Trusted by the delegation with making some last minute revisions, John Hancock finished the Declaration of Independence with only the secretary of Congress, Charles Thompson, present. Though Hancock is popularly credited with having completed the last stroke of his bold signature with the phrase, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that," neither Hancock nor Thompson, the only ones who would have known, left any record of the famous one-liner.

When newlyweds Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette celebrated their royal bonds with a fireworks display on May 10, 1774, they inadvertently set in motion a stampede which left 800 of their wedding attendees dead.

Workers who make firecrackers have to be sure to wear an ensemble that is entirely cotton, lest static electricity generated by their clothing set off the fireworks.

An urban legend that began during the Cold War in America held that the ball on the top of every flagpole contained a razor blade, a lighter and a bullet so that if the Russians invaded, the flag could be properly destroyed rather than taken. The legend apparently did not take into consideration that few people would probably be interested in climbing to the top of a flagpole during an invasion by a foreign army.

Our national mascot, the bald eagle, can achieve speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour when making a predatory dive. During a normal flight, the bald eagle can travel up to 30 miles per hour.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" started out as a poem named "The Defense of Fort M'Henry" and was written on the back of an envelope. It was quickly found that the cadence of the poem fit the tune of a song titled "To Anacreon in Heaven." It was set to the music and renamed, thus becoming the national anthem as we know it today.

Calvin Coolidge was born on the Fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson died on the Fourth of July.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans consume over 150 million hot dogs during their Independence Day festivities.

Though permanently emblazoned in our memories as an old man, Benjamin Franklin was actually an accomplished swimmer in his younger years.

Actor George Clooney recently paid $20 for a cup of lemonade from a stand that a group of children were operating near where the cast and crew of the movie "Leatherheads" was filming. The stated price of the lemonade was only twenty-five cents and the kids' mother offered Clooney a free drink, but he insisted not only on paying for the drink but on leaving the kids with a $19.75 tip as well.

African explorer and missionary, David Livingstone, noted during his 1850's expeditions that the natives used watermelons as canteens. These high-volume drinking vessels were also used by early explorers of the Americas.

In the 19th century, apple pie was considered a healthy breakfast food, although the crust was not customarily eaten.

The use of fireworks more than doubled in the United States in the decade between 1992 and 2002. In 2003, American citizens blew up more than 220 million pounds of the decorative explosives.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.