Need some buzzkill? The Continental Congress declared independence on July 2nd and most of them signed the declaration on August 2nd. If anyone rang the Liberty Bell, no one noted it at the time, and there is no proof that Betsy Ross ever lived in the Betsy Ross house, nor that she had anything to do with sewing the first American flag. And if you believe that story about George Washington and the cherry tree, I’ve got a story for you about George W. Bush and WMD.
In other news, fireworks injure a lot more people than they kill.
CPSC staff received reports of four fireworks-related deaths during 2011. In the first incident, a 31-year-old male died of substantial head and chest trauma caused by an illegal 1.3G aerial firework device.1 In the second incident, a 47-year-old male perished when a 1.3G illegal 3-inch display firework device exploded in his face. In the third incident, a 41-year-old male was decapitated by an illegal firework device. A 51-year-old male died of severe head and face injuries caused by a homemade firework device in the fourth incident. CPSC staff has reports of four fireworks-related deaths in 2010. Reporting is not complete for either year, and the number of deaths for each year should be considered a minimum.
Fireworks were involved in an estimated 9,600 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments during calendar year 2011 (95 percent confidence interval 7,600–11,600). CPSC staff estimated that there were 8,600 fireworks-related injuries during 2010. The difference is not statistically significant.
Of course, in 2009, four people died in a fireworks explosion on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina. They don’t have fireworks on the Fourth of July anymore.
Have a happy day.
