The United States at 230

If you do a search on Ask.com for the 4th of July, it will lead you to a holiday-related Smart Answer with interesting historical info about the day (from the Library of Congress), recipes for your BBQ, games for the kids, and much more.

Of course, Ask also provides Smart Answers (365 days a year) for many of the legendary figures involved in America's independence like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and Betsy Ross. Other locations, many in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are also Smart Answer enabled. For example, Independence Hall and other places in the Independence National Historical Park like the Liberty Bell have Smart Answers.

Ask Maps and Aerial imagery can also be fun to look at on a holiday like this one. Here's Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center from the air. The National Archives of the U.S. (technically the National Archives and Record Administration), located in Washington DC, is home to the Declaration of Independence. They offer a wonderful online site complete with interesting essays, hi-res imagery of the actual document, and more. You'll also spot a link to Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention that have been digitized as part of the American Memory Project from the Library of Congress.

Finally, statistics can be lots of fun and just about each and every U.S. holiday gets a fact-filled document compiled and published by the U.S. Census titled, Facts for Features. They're loaded with all sorts of interesting stats relating to that day, each with a link to its source. The Fourth of July, 2006 is no different. Here are just a few entries from this year's U.S. Census Independence Day "Fact For Features." The compilation is available here as an HTML web page or here as a PDF. A list of links to other "Facts for Features" are available here. Fun, interesting, and more than worthy of your attention

Some Fast Facts for the Fourth of July, 2006

* 2.5 million - the number of people living in the US colonies in July 1776

* 150 million - the number of hot dogs (all varieties) expected to be consumed by Americans on this holiday. That’s one frankfurter for every two people.

* Better than 50-50 - the odds that the beans in your side dish of baked beans came from North Dakota, Michigan or Nebraska, which produced 60 percent of the nation’s dry, edible bean.

* $201.9 million - the value of fireworks imported from China in 2005, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($211 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $14.9 million in 2005, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($4.4 million).

* 30 - the number of places nationwide with “liberty” in its name. The most populous one is Liberty, Mo. (28,528). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

* 32 - the number of places that are named “eagle” — after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 24,847 residents. There is also Eagle County, Colo., with a population of 47,530.

* 11 - the number of US places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 111,023 residents.

* 5 - US places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, California., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.

* 1 - There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 195.

And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 22,387.

Fast Fact Source: U.S. Census Facts for Features: The Fourth of July, 2006

Gary Price & Scott Grieder
Ask.com Bloggers