內容簡介
內容簡介 Everything you think you know about the Fourth of July is wrong - and that makes it so much better. July 4, 1776 isn't actually when independence was declared. The Liberty Bell almost certainly never rang that day. John Hancock's oversized signature? There's a reason for that. And the most powerful speech ever delivered on Independence Day was a searing indictment of America itself. As America reaches its 250th birthday - its Semiquincentennial - America 250: Fun Facts, Surprising Stories, and Patriotic Insights takes you behind the fireworks and into the real, remarkable, sometimes jaw-dropping history of the holiday that defines a nation. Inside, you'll discover: Why July 4th is both the right and the wrong date to celebrate independence The extraordinary lives of all 56 signers of the Declaration - from heroes to scoundrels The ghostly coincidence that killed two Founding Fathers on the same Fourth of July, fifty years apart How fireworks went from Chinese battlefields to American backyards The hidden symbols on the Declaration of Independence and the dollar bill Frederick Douglass's blistering 1852 speech - and why it still matters How America partied in 1876, 1976 - and what 2026 promises to be The wildest records, weirdest traditions, and most surprising Fourth of July facts ever recorded And much more... This is not a dry history textbook. It's a front-row seat to the messy, magnificent, deeply human story of America's most beloved holiday - told chapter by chapter, fact by fact, with the curiosity and passion the subject deserves. Perfect for history lovers, trivia buffs, teachers, students, gift-givers, and anyone who has ever watched fireworks light up the sky and wondered: how did we get here? America is 250 years old. Isn't it time you knew the whole story?