Ah, the Fourth of July in Virginia. It’s that special time of year when you walk into your local 7-11 convenience store and see people wearing tight cutoff jean shorts along with halter tops which they really shouldn’t be wearing. It’s a time for suntan lotion and stylish sunglasses and coolers full of quenching drinks and snarled traffic jams which will make you wish you were back home on your couch. Anyway, how much do you really know about Independence Day, and I don’t mean the cool 1996 movie?
Try to solve without Googling first.
Spoiler Alert – Answers are at bottom of page.
1) This year for the Fourth of July America plans to:
a) Tear down all the statues of Dr. Seuss and replace them with statues of the Kardashians
b) Announce one gallon of gas now costs more than Shaq’s mansion
c) Demand everyone apologizes for something, even if they didn’t do anything wrong
d) Celebrate its 245th Birthday with fireworks and hot dogs and apple pie and live music, because that’s how we roll
2) How many of our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence?
a) 26
b) 36
c) 46
d) 56
e) 0, as they all just shook hands instead
3) Approximately how many hot dogs will be eaten on the Fourth of July in 2021?
a) 15 million
b) 150 million
c) 1.5 billion
d) This year hot dogs have been replaced by vegan kale dogs
4) Roughly what percentage of fireworks displays were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic?
a) 20 percent
b) 50 percent
c) 80 percent
d) This is America, we didn’t cancel no durn fireworks
5) The oldest American Fourth of July Parade was first held in Bristol, Rhode Island in:
a) 1776
b) 1777
c) 1785
d) 1876
e) 2076
6) Which president made the Fourth of July a PAID federal holiday?
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) Theodore Roosevelt
c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
d) George Herbert Walker Nixon Ford
7) In U.S. history, how many different versions of the American flag have flown?
a) 7
b) 17
c) 27
d) 37
8) Perhaps surprisingly, 94% of all American flags are made in:
a) America
b) China
c) Canada
d) Mexico
e) The North Pole
9) What is the minimum amount of insurance coverage recommended for fireworks shows?
a) 1 million dollars
b) 5 million dollars
c) 10 million dollars
d) Insurance companies refuse to insure fireworks shows
10) The only state which completely bans consumer fireworks is:
a) Virginia
b) Massachusetts
c) Illinois
d) Ohio
11) How many Virginians signed the Declaration of Independence?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 7
d) Actually, all the signers were Virginians
12) True or False – According to the U.S. Flag Code, wearing clothes with the American flag is actually illegal.
13) What did George Washington give to each of his troops as a gift on July 4th, 1778?
a) Tickets to the upcoming Bruce Springsteen concert in nearby Trenton
b) A double ration of rum
c) Engraved horseshoes
d) A signed letter in gold leaf
e) Each and every soldier got a big hug
14) What was the approximate population of the United States on July 4th, 1776?
a) 500,000
b) 1,000,000
c) 2,500,000
d) Historians have no idea
Answers:
1 d
2 d
3 b
4 c
5 c
6 c
7 c
8 a
9 b
10 b
11 c
12 True, but it is not enforced
13 b
14 c
Scoring:
14 correct – You are the Honorary Grand Marshall of the Yorktown, Virginia Fourth of July Parade
10-13 correct – You actually knew that some guy named James K. Polk really was president
5-9 correct – You like the Fourth of July, but are so ready for Labor Day and sweater weather
1-4 correct – You fell asleep every single day, bar none, of your American History class
0 correct – You must spend the Fourth of July in a leaking dugout canoe with Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber while they
comb each other’s hair, argue about which are the best German foods, and perform bad renditions of Canadian patriotic songs
