Posted by: John S Kiernan

Fireworks and freedom: That’s what America does on the Fourth of July to celebrate the country’s birthday, established with 56 founding fathers’ pen strokes on the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We also eat a whole lot of hotdogs: 150 million in total. We make a toast or two to freedom and good old Uncle Sam, shelling out more than $1.6 billion on July Fourth beer and wine. And we travel, with nearly 47 million of us planning to venture 50+ miles from home this year.

Even though July 4, 2019 marks America’s 244th birthday, there’s still a lot to learn about this red, white and blue anniversary. To help fill you in and pump up your patriotism, we put together an awesome infographic filled with 4th of July fun facts. We also polled a panel of experts for some added insight into Independence Day. You can check it all out below.

Embed on your website<a href="http://bit.ly/2tpI1JU"> <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/64135/2019-4th-of-july-by-the-numbers-v5.png" width="" height="" alt="" /> </a> <div style="width:px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/2IJ1fRO> Key 4th of July Facts:

• $6.8 Billion: Amount Americans plan to spend on 4th of July food.
• 150 Million: Hot dogs are eaten each 4th of July.
• $1.6+ Billion: Amount we plan to spend on Fourth of July beer and wine.
• $1+ Billion: Amount we’re expected to spend on fireworks in 2019 (67 percent of fireworks injuries occur within a month of July 4).
• $5.4 Million: Value of American flags imported annually (mostly from China).
• 47+ Million: People travel 50+ miles from home for the 4th of July.

Ask The Experts: Celebrating Independence Day The Right Way

In search of pointers for how people can safely showcase their patriotism this Independence Day, we turned to a panel of leading experts in all matters relating to the safety of both consumers and their wallets. You can check out their bios and responses to the following questions below.

1. What is the best way to celebrate the 4th of July and the founding of our country?
2. What are the biggest 4th of July money-wasters?
3. What are some health and safety tips for enjoying the holiday?
4. What tips do you have for a person that wants to put a fireworks display on a budget for 4th of July?

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• Alice S. Tsang M.B.A., C.F.A. – Professor in the Practice of Economics and Business, Director of Global Partnership, Gordon College
• Jennifer A. Pope Ph.D. – US Fulbright Scholar- IDEC Bled School of Management, Associate Professor of International Business and Marketing, Grand Valley State University
• Alexander Milovic Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Practice, Marquette University
• Allan Lichtman Distinguished Professor of History, American University

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