US Independence Day: 8 interesting facts you need to know

The 4^th of July is the most significant national holiday in the US which marks the liberation of the Americans from the British Empire. The US Independence Day celebration commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

In 1775, the 13 colonies of America declared a war of independence against Britain. The next year, the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 representatives of the thirteen colonies.

Things you need to know about the US Independence Day

1. United States of America was made up of Thirteen Colonies including Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

2. Thomas Jefferson, third President of America, drafted the Declaration of Independence.

3. George Washington, then a general in the revolutionary army, issued his troops with a double rum ration in 1778.

4. The first Independence Day was celebrated on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia.

5. Psalm of Joy, written by Johann Friedrich Peter from Salem, North Carolina was the first recorded music commemorating independence.

6. Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped 13 times, every year in honour of the 13 American colonies.

7. Rhode Island holds the longest running Independence Day celebration. On the first anniversary on July 4, 1777 Rhode Island saluted with    13 gunshots.

8. US Independence Day became a paid holiday across the country in 1938.