Latest / Ebbs of History / When America Picked the Wrong Birthday
Transcript
- Jason: Welcome to the Ebbs of the show where we dive into the strangest, wildest, and sometimes downright creepiest stories the past has to offer. ⁓ From dancing plagues to pirate you'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll even groan at my impeccable dad jokes. But most importantly, we'll learn how history is way cooler than your textbook ever told you. We are history loving hosts, Zoe. Lessons we've learned today. Gavin. And I'm Jason, and in every episode, the three of us will take a quick trip through time and see what lessons we can still learn today. This is the Ebbs of History. Hey there, history lovers. Welcome back to another episode of Ebbs of History. We're so glad you're here with us today. Zoe, Gavin, it's been about thirty seconds since we recorded our last episode. How's it going? Time for the Fun Fact Challenge! This day in History! I mean I really enjoyed that last episode, so I'm I'm like riding high right now. I know. That's why we're gonna do another one. Yeah, that was a good episode that last one. I really enjoyed that. I really enjoy the format of the list episodes and different categories and ⁓ it's not just ⁓ the same thing for like thirty minutes. And a little birdie told me that this episode's kind of like that, so I'm a little excited. So listeners, if you ⁓ agree with Zoe, let us know. On Instagram at Ebbs of History or you can email us questions at Ebbs of History dot com. If ⁓ you agree with Zoe, leave some comments. And we can get more of list episodes. That's right. week the Fourth of July is right around the corner. Hot dogs, fireworks, parades, the whole patriotic package. But here's the thing almost everything you know about the Fourth of July is a little bit wrong. Wrong date, wrong country invented fireworks, wrong continent throws the biggest party. So today we're doing four weird, wonderful facts about America's birthday that absolutely should not be true but are. Alright, up because by the end of this episode, the fourth of July is going to look very different than it did when we started. You know why I chose four? Because of the four that I'm Alright, fact number one. The date is wrong. Let's start with the big one. The Fourth of July celebrates American independence from Britain. We all know this. The problem is, basically nothing important happened on july fourth, seventeen seventy six. What? Zoe, guess what date Congress actually voted to break away from Britain? June fourth. June. Gavin, any thoughts? I'm about July third. ⁓ close. July second. ⁓ Well, because it has to be before, 'cause it has to process. I didn't re I didn't know how long it took for things to process back then. That's why I did way back. On july second, seventeen seventy six, the Continental Congress, Which was basically America's first version of a national government, voted to officially declare independence. That was the actual breakup. That was the moment a guy in a powdered wig somewhere said, Yep, we're doing this. No more king. So why don't we celebrate July second? Is there something already on that day? So they just decided to move it. Nope. Maybe like it w the news was spread like fully on the fourth of July. Okay. Because it did take a while for the And that's when people started to like pody. Both very good guesses. But it's because of paperwork. Specifically, the Declaration of Independence, which is the famous document that explains why the colonies wanted to leave. Congress had a draft of it that needed to be edited, polished, and re edited Gavin, you ever had a school project where you all agreed on the idea, but then you spent the rest of the time arguing about the wording? No. ⁓ Zoe's shaking her head, yes though. Yeah. I mean it's just conflicting ideas. Just of like, there's a of it's almost there's too many cooks in the kitchen. Uh-huh. ⁓ So imagine that, but with thirteen colonies and quill pens. The thing is it probably has, I just don't really rem remember. When you get into high school it'll happen more, I'm sure. ⁓ bigger personalities. Especially when you're in certain classes. On july fourth, seventeen seventy six, Congress finally agreed on the final wording of the declaration. That's it. They didn't sign it that day. They didn't even finish writing the final clean copy until July nineteenth. The actual signing happened in chunks starting on august second, and some of the signatures didn't get added until later that year. Maybe even into seventeen seventy seven. Wow. Right? So when you see that famous painting of the founding fathers signing the declaration together with quills in hand on july fourth, didn't happen. The painting actually shows a meeting from june twenty eighth. The whole thing is more based on a true story than actual history. Like historiography early. Here's the kicker. John Adams, one of the most famous founding fathers, and later the second president of the United States, who was there. I know him. He was in the room. where it happened. ⁓ knew exactly what happened on what day. The day after the big July 2nd vote, he wrote a letter to his wife Abigail saying, and I'm paraphrasing here. July second is going to be the most important day in American history. People are going to celebrate it forever with fireworks and parades and parties. A little early there, bud. He nailed everything except the date. Adams was so annoyed that everyone started celebrating on July fourth instead of July second that for the rest of his life he refused to attend Fourth of July events. The guy literally boycotted his own country's birthday party because he thought we were doing it on the wrong day. Was he one of those people? That's funny. Did he celebrate on the second? Or did he just not celebrate at all? I didn't read anything that he actually celebrated. I feel like Flizzard July like does like rule off the tongue way better. It does. It does, but it's It's not the second of July. But I think it's like if we had second of July That would be normalized. That would be normal. And then we'd be like, Fourth of July, that's so weird. That doesn't roll off a tongue at all. Like that's what you'd be saying right now. All right, fact two a weirdly large number of presidents died on July fourth. Yeah. You know that. I was just thinking of Didn't John Adams himself died. Speaking of John Adams, here's where the story gets a little spooky. Adams died on July fourth, eighteen twenty six. Zoe, what is special about eighteen twenty six? Twenty six. ⁓ Eighteen twenty six. ⁓ Is that election year? ⁓ may have been, but that's what's special about it. Then no. I probably should. Eighteen twenty six when he died. It is, yes. Well yes. ⁓ July fourth, eighteen twenty six. Exactly years after the declaration was approved. The fiftieth anniversary to the day. And his last words supposedly were Thomas Jefferson survives. Beautiful, right? The two old rivals, both founding fathers, both former presidents. Jefferson must still be alive. He died the same day. Except Thomas Jefferson had died earlier in that same morning. Two of the most famous fathers, the men who basically wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson did most of the actual writing, Adams did the editing and the arguing, died on the exact same day. Exactly fifty years after the document was approved, hours apart in different states. They had been close friends, then bitter political rivals, then close friends again. They spent the last years of their lives writing each other long, sweet letters apologizing for all the times that they'd fought. And then they died on the same day on the fiftieth anniversary with neither of them knowing the other was gone. That's kind of like doomed lovers. That sounds like doomed lovers to me. Kinda. It's all like enemies to lovers. Very tragic. Gavin, on a scale of one to ten, how possible is this? Can I do like percentage? Sure. Instead. I feel like ⁓ lower than one percent. Okay. ⁓ Near zero, right? Yeah. Yeah. Real low. Forge magazine actually did the on this. The odds of those two specific people dying on that specific anniversary are about seven in one hundred thousand. It is statistically bizarre. There were Americans at the time who looked at the coincidence and concluded it had to be the hand of God. ⁓ Other people just got really nervous about being a founding father in early July. ⁓ And then it gets weirder. 1831, five years later, another founding father and former president, James Monroe, also died on july fourth. That's three of America's first five presidents all dying on the same calendar square. Three out of five. At one point when Andrew Jackson was president, three of his six predecessors had died on July fourth. ⁓ my god. That's like a doomed date. Right? And just for fun, the 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July fourth. ⁓ my god. He's the only US president who was born on Independence Day. Keep that in mind for trivia, the week of July 4th. I like how all of them ⁓ some part of name starts with Jay. Just saying. ⁓ Monroe? No, James. ⁓ I'm just running down the last name. James, Jefferson, and John. ⁓ Dun dun dun. Maybe Jay is just the best name Are you gonna die? So statistically speaking, this whole thing is super weird for the people who founded the country it celebrates, isn't it? Mm-hmm. Fact three. You know what we do on Fourth of July? We set off thousands of pounds of fireworks. And we can never see them. Right down on that street. I mean, LA is ridiculous with the fireworks any day of the year. Any day. The Dodgers when we hear it's like Fourth of July out there. I just don't understand. Maybe it's 'cause we live by the port of LA. That might be it. And a lot of, you know, fireworks come in through there and a lot of the Dodge workers maybe There's just a lot get a hold of them. I don't know. It's just ridiculous around here all year round, not just on the fourth of the We get trained sensitize to it. We do. That is very true. Do you know who invented the tradition of using fireworks to celebrate big national events? China. ⁓ I don't know who invented the tradition, but I do I thought that China invented fireworks. China did. But do you know who Started using them for big celebrations? Was it I would guess bit in Yeah. Ding ding ding the British. Like that's like a big global and and they learned it from them. They learned it from their motherlands. The same people we were celebrating not being ruled by. Exactly. Yeah, that's ⁓ that's kinda just like a ha ha kinda like Fireworks themselves are way older. They were invented in China around two hundred BC. But the tradition of using them to celebrate huge national moments? That's basically a British thing. The very first big royal fireworks show on record was in fourteen eighty six for the wedding of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. After that the British royal family went absolutely wild for fireworks. King Henry the Eighth, yes, the famous one with all the wives, loved them. Queen Elizabeth the First actually had a person in her court whose entire job was to organize firework displays. That'd be a fun job. Yeah, right. Especially for that time period. There's not much fun dings going on. Except for the weekly gvool. James I ⁓ a guy for being really good at fireworks. There was a master of fireworks in the royal court for hundreds of years. So when John Adams sat down in seventeen seventy six and wrote his wife July second should be celebrated forever with bonfires and illuminations, illuminations was an old word for fireworks. ⁓ wasn't inventing a new tradition. He was basically saying Let's celebrate our independence from Britain by throwing the kind of party the British King would throw. That's just kinda funny. That's it it's also kind of weird because George Washington p s specifically said he's not gonna be a king, but they celebrate their independence like the royalty. I don't know, that's kinda like I get where you're coming from, but I see it more of as they're thumbing their nose at at the at the camp. I see it like that too. Yeah. Because that's just like you can't really see it many ways at one time. Yeah, absolutely. So it'd be like winning a soccer game and then celebrating by doing the other team's exact victory dance. I mean, that is trolling, right? I mean like that's the level of petty I strive to be. Like we are, two hundred and fifty years later, still lighting up the sky, exactly the way the kings we kicked out used to do. Fact four. Gavin, where do you think the largest Fourth of July celebration outside of the United States is held? ⁓ Let me give you s I can give you some options if you want. Yeah. ⁓ The because the US used to control the Philippines and gave them their independence ⁓ on fourth, nineteen forty-six. England, because they get to make fun of us. ⁓ Or Denmark, the small Scandinavian country known mostly for Vikings, Lego, and ⁓ Which probably Denmark. Yeah. Why? Just just 'cause the randomness of it. Okay. I I have to agree because it's ⁓ Britain, I mean like I mean, I didn't think that any other country in the world celebrated the Fourth of July just because it is like a US thing only. I mean the Philippines would make sense. But it's also like I don't want to associate myself with the people that were in charge of us for so long and treated us like animals. Like I don't want I don't want to celebrate that. That's why I'm like, it's not the Philippines 'cause they pro they probably have so much resentment towards the US because Just the past. Yeah. The other logical thing is like England saying like, ⁓ we can just get rid of them, don't care about them anymore. Yeah, they're like almost celebrating it. Celebrating getting rid of us. I'm just like I'm done with you. But they were an asset. But like the Americas were an asset to Britain, so it's almost a loss for them. So I guess the only logical response is Denmark, which makes absolutely no sense. But I don't know. Well, the answer is Denmark. Every year since nineteen twelve, in a place called Rebuild National Park in Northern Denmark, the Danish American Friendship Association has held a giant Fourth of July festival. We're talking thousands of people, sometimes tens of thousands. Picnics, parades, live music, speeches, lots of singing, and pickled herring, because it's still Denmark. The party runs from July first all the way through July fourth, so they actually celebrate Better than we did. Yeah, not even America does all of that. On July second, actually. ⁓ God. Past speakers at the festival have included Walt Disney, the actor Richard Chamberlain, the US President Richard Nixon, and actual members of Danish royalty. Why is Nixon s speaking at a not American Fourth of July? He had a pol he had a ⁓ a foreign policy that was more expansive than a lot of other presidents that that ⁓ might be part of it. That that makes sense. I just find it odd that why Denmark? Why'd they just like eay Fourth of July for no reason? They have no ties to America. We'll get there. Okay. has been going on for over a hundred years and is older than most things people associate with the Fourth of July. Like the modern fireworks shows you see on TV. But why? Why does a country that has never been an American colony, never been ruled by America, and is literally on a different continent throw America the biggest birthday party outside of America itself? It's all because of a group of Danish immigrants. In the early 1900s, a bunch of Danes who had moved to the United States made good lives there, and ended up loving their adopted country, pooled their money together. They went back to Denmark, bought a piece of land in the rolling hills of Jutland, and gave that land to the Danish government as a gift, with one condition. The land had to host an annual celebration of American independence. The Danish government said sure, and they have been holding it every single year ever since. Except during the actual World Wars, when, you know, parties were generally on pause. Yeah. There is even an award given out at the festival each year called Top Karen Award. ⁓ given to someone for contributions to society. Zoe, Do you think the person who named that award in nineteen twelve knew what Karen means in modern internet English? ⁓ No. It has completely different connotation. Yeah, ⁓ probably. Like and just like world ⁓ r world renowned like I I think everyone in ⁓ the world in English speaking world knows ⁓ Karen. ⁓ The has interestingly, ⁓ to say the least. That would age like fine milk. ⁓ But the festival itself, hundred plus years of Danes and Americans hanging out, eating, and singing about a holiday that technically isn't theirs. So there's our four facts the wrong date, the spooky presidential deaths, the very British fireworks, and the giant Danish party. The Fourth of July is somehow even weirder than the wildest backyard fireworks show. Historiography. ⁓ gonna leave that all in too. ⁓ quick word on how we know all of this. ⁓ Some of these facts are ironclad. John Adams' letter to saying july second was the real independence day still exists. You can read it on the Massachusetts Historical Society website. The deaths of Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe on july fourth are all in the historical record with witnesses present. These are solid. Other parts are murkier. The famous painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the one with all the founding fathers gather gathered around a table, is by an artist named John Trumbull. He painted it about fifty years after the fact, and historians have known for a long time that the scene he painted didn't actually happen the way he showed it. The story that Adams' last words were Thomas Jefferson survives comes from people who were there. But last word stories from the eighteen hundreds are notoriously hard to verify. Sometimes a dramatic line gets cleaned up later to sound better. The basic facts though, that Adams and Jefferson died hours apart on july fourth, eighteen twenty six, those are absolutely documented. The fireworks history is well known, but not always emphasized, because nobody wants to put it on a Fourth of July greeting card. And Rebuild Park in Denmark is well documented, going back to the original land deal in nineteen twelve. So what do these four weird July fourth facts actually teach us? Any ideas? always double check. Like this is like a very big putting the mission statement of our podcast. I know. If but it's like always question. Always question, yeah. Just ⁓ do your own research. Because the most it's like don't always just look at top search on Google, go down a couple pages. A couple pages, at least. A couple pages to get some good sources because the top is ⁓ the most common, but I mean, it doesn't it's not always right. Mm-hmm. At least with the first one. I got couple. Holidays are stories, and stories change over time. We picked Fourth of July, not because it was the right date, but because it was a date on the paper. History often remembers the dramatic moment, not the actual one. Second, the lines between countries are blurrier than we think. Americans got their fireworks tradition from the British, and the Danes love America enough to throw us a hundred year long party. People borrow from each other all the time, even from people they used to fight. And lastly, even the people who make history don't always get to control how it's remembered. John Adams pleaded with America to celebrate July 2nd. America did not listen. Two hundred and fifty years later, we are still doing it on the wrong day. And John Adams is still somewhere very annoyed. Rolling in his grave. Rolling in his grave. Three questions. Wait till I finish. ⁓ Lock in. ⁓ Question one. On what date did the Continental Congress actually to declare from Britain in seventeen seventy seven? Lock in Gavin. was just louder. I no, I think I heard him first. July second. Correct. Question two. Which two founding fathers, both former presidents, died on july fourth, eighteen twenty six. The same day, exactly fifty years after the Declaration of Independence was approved. I don't think I should go 'cause Gavin said it first. ⁓ the I let's tell myself. Yeah, it doesn't matter. I You made noise. She's right, but I think I heard you first, O Adams and Jefferson. They died within hours of each other in different states, neither knowing the other had died. Alright now here's a hard one 'cause you guys are tied. I'm gonna it up a little bit. At what national park does Denmark host one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations outside the United States since 1912? Locked in. Gavin. V-Build National Park. Ding ding ding. Gavin won two in a row. I didn't write that down. Two in a row. I knew I would need that. How does it feel? Amazing. ⁓ actually went back in my notes and the last time Gavin won was episode 10. Actually it was ep the last episode. Well if we're talking about the last episode it was that time, but ⁓ let's just say that it's the last episode that you were on. What you missed a couple episodes and mom stood in and Gavin beat mom. ⁓ no, I'm just talking about a host. So I'm not in. I'm just talking about the supreme champion of fun fact challenge. Okay. You're coming for my title. Some other things that happened on July second, 'cause today July second across history. ⁓ John Adams rolls in his grave every ⁓ every year. ⁓ So it's kind of fitting that this episode comes out on July second. Yeah, and not July fourth. Seventeen seventy-six. What happened? What do you think happened on July second, seventeen seventy six? The declaration of independence. ⁓ no. They signed the con the Continental Congress signed the they yeah. They voted. They voted. The Declaration of Independence did not get signed until August, but it was later. Fully, yeah. Continental Congress voted to officially declare independence. That's what said. That's exactly what I said. Word for word. Sixteen forty four. At the Battle of Marston Moor in England, parliamentary forces handed the Royalist Army of King Charles the First their first major defeat in the English Civil War, shifting the course of the conflict. That's a big one. In English history, at least. Yeah. Why was there a civil war? ⁓ because there was a group of people, led by Cromwell who didn't want a king anymore. Is it the Puritan Revolution? And wait, no, that led it was like part of the Protestant Revolution or something like Puritan. Because ⁓ Cromwell was a Puritan. But you know Cromwell, Gavin. Yeah. The thing is I ha I've only really heard about the American Civil War. ⁓ there's been no There were officially there's one English Civil War. Mm-hmm. ⁓ But there was other ⁓ conflicts. Yeah. There's one called the Anarchy, which was technically a civil war because two people were trying to be king and queen. Matilda was trying to be queen and and her cousin was trying to be king, Steven. ⁓ so there's times like that that has happened, but there's only one official English civil war. It's kinda like how we haven't been in an official war since World War Two. Like we've been in conflicts but Yeah. Officially declared by Congress. We haven't been in a war since US hasn't been in a war since bonkers. That's insane. With all the little proxy wars and the cold war and the conflicts happening now. Just a president with a power hungry president just doing whatever he wants. Yeah, there's hopefully that July is coming up. Mm-hmm. Anyway, also on this day in 1881, President James Garfield was shot. by Charles Guiteau at a Washington DC railroad station. Garfield clung to life for two months before dying in September, becoming the second US president to be assassinated. At that point is it technically an assassination like two months later? I mean it's it's ca it's the cause. Yeah. ⁓ a great show about this whole situation. It was really, really good. ⁓ a ⁓ show called Death by Lightning. It was very it's on Netflix. It was very accurate and well done. Doesn't have Nick Offerman in it. It does. Does he like Nick Offerman then? He's Chester A. Arthur in that. Yep. It's it's really good show. I really enjoyed that one. Is it like a miniseries or is it a full show? It's a mini series, but I mean it's a full show. Like I don't understand why. I mean like four episodes versus like thirteen episodes. ⁓ no, it's four episodes, yeah. fourth of July is on the wrong day. The are stolen from the people we were rebelling against. Three of our first five presidents died on it, and the biggest celebration outside America is in Denmark. Other than that, totally normal holiday. That's it for this episode. Thanks for traveling through time with us on the Ebbs of History. If you like today's story, share it with a teacher, a friend, or your family on Instagram at Ebbs of History. If you have any show ideas, corrections, or questions, you can contact us at questions at ebbs of history dot com. Signing off, discipline co host Gavin, Zoe. And me, Jason, reminding you that history is not just about dates and battles. It's about people, curiosity, and the weird, wonderful choices that shaped our world. Until next time. Keep wondering. Keep laughing. And keep learning through the ebbs of history. ⁓