As you know on this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays is marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.But perhaps you did not know these trivia tidbits about our Fourth of July Cookouts!
- More than 1 in 4 - The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.3 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2009. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation's total. North Carolina (9.4 million) and Minnesota (7.3 million) were the runners-up.
- 6.8 billion pounds - Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.7 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds).
- About 4 in 10 - The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 39 percent of the nation's dry, edible beans in 2008. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia and New York together accounted for 61 percent of the sweet corn produced nationally in 2008.
- Please Pass the Potato Salad - Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Half of the nation's spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington state in 2008.
- More than three-fourths - Amount of the nation's head lettuce production in 2008 that came from California.
- More than 7 in 10 - The chances that the fresh tomatoes in your salad came from California or Florida, which combined accounted for 71 percent of U.S. tomato production last year.
- Florida - The state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (861 million pounds).
- 78 million - Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year.
- Fireworks: $193 million - The value of fireworks imported from China in 2008, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($202 million). U.S. exports of fireworks just $28.1 million in 2008, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($5.8 million).
- Flags: $3.4 million - In 2008, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.0 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. Adopted From http://www.census.gov/
