When John Adams wrote those prescient words to his beloved wife Abigail on July 3, 1776, do you think he could have imagined a timenearly 250 years laterwhen Independence Day would be celebrated with Amazon blowout sales and Nathans Hot Dog Eating Competitionsin addition to parades and fireworks?

In honor of our countrys birthday, here are some fascinating facts about The Fourth:

Philadelphia was home to the very first Independence Day fireworks show: in 1777!

. Since 1785, Bristol, Rhode Island has had the distinction of hosting the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in the country.

At 2:00 pm every 4th of July, descendants of those who signed the Declaration of Independence gather at the Liberty Bell to hear it ring 13 times: in honor of Americas original 13 states. This kicks off an annual

Let Freedom Ring Celebration, where simultaneous bells are rung across the country.

Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on July 4th (1872), but THREE presidents (who also signed the Declaration of Independence) died on July 4th: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the countrys 50th

anniversary (1826), and James Monroe in 1831.

This week, were digging into the real stories behind some of the brave and brilliant figures who paved the way to our freedom. We hope our featured classes will spark your interest.

Happy 248th birthday, America!

Professor Bob Allison explains why the American fight for freedom was unique:

What was "revolutionary" about the American Revolution? What did the Revolution get right, and what did it get wrong? These questions are not just for historians, but for citizens of the nation born in Revolution.

250 years after the Revolution, we still debate its meaning, its causes, and its results.

One of the real puzzles is, why did the Revolutionaries base their cause not on British trade or tax policies, but on the fundamental idea that all people are created equal and have the power to govern themselves? "We have it in our power to begin the world over again," Thomas Paine said. John Adams asked when before in human history did people have it in their power to choose the government under which they would live?

Paine and Adams agreed on little else. But both understood the profound choices the new world they created called upon us to make.

Robert Allison is Professor and Chair of History at Suffolk University and also teaches history at the Harvard Extension School. A Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, he is the author of several books, including A Short History of Boston.