The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks.
Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making.
Commemoration of America's independence “ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,” Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, dated July 3, 1776.American Pyrotechnics Association
His letter to his wife aside, Adams refused to celebrate the holiday on July 4 because he felt July 2 was the real Independence Day. Why? It was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence, though the Declaration of Independence wasn't formally adopted until two days later.
“People went to the fireworks store beginning Memorial Day weekend and they just didn't stop,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. “They were firing off fireworks all of 2020. It shocked the industry, to be quite honest with you.” The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2022, 10,200 people were treated at emergency rooms and 11 deaths were blamed on fireworks. About three-quarters of injuries happened in the period around the Fourth of July.
Children under 15 make up nearly one-third of those injured by fireworks. Sparklers often are blamed for burns to children under age 5. Osborn suggested giving small children glow sticks or colorful streamers instead.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditionsIndependence Day is around the corner! Here are five facts about the traditions surrounding the holiday.
Read more »
Charles Ives’s ‘The Fourth of July’: Musical FireworksCharles Ives’s exuberant orchestral piece 'The Fourth of July,' scored in 1912, captures in six minutes the clamor and nostalgia of a New Englander’s Independence Day and the proud force of the American spirit
Read more »
The 10 Best Fourth of July Sales to Shop Right NowFrom the top-rated mattresses to sleek suitcases, make sure to score the sweetest deals up to 70% off.
Read more »
Fourth of July gas prices take an almost unprecedented plungeThe roads will be crowded this Fourth of July weekend, but travelers have at least one thing going for them: much cheaper gas prices than last year.
Read more »
City to reopen Ocean Beach Pier on time for Fourth of July weekendThe city closed the pier Jan. 6, and decided to wait until after the winter storm season ended before reopening it, officials said.
Read more »