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The Fourth of July is the most American of holidays.

And what’s more American than a touch of irreverence? A hint of sarcasm? The freedom to take a bit of journalistic license?

In that spirit, here are some (mostly true) Fourth of July facts and trivia.

-- The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 representatives of the 13 colonies. Among the signers were John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John McCain.

-- Samuel Adams, another signer, was a noted advocate for liberty, for justice and for a holiday that would serve as an opportunity to sell more beer in the summer.

-- The decision of the Continental Congress to sever ties with Great Britain was made on July 2, causing John Adams to predict that date would be remembered as Independence Day. And it’s a crying shame it wasn’t. If it had been, we’d all be in the middle of a five-day weekend right now.

-- Formally adopted on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Philadelphia for the first time on July 8. Congress spent the extra four days trying to slip earmarks into the final version.

-- While Philadelphians staged a spontaneous celebration on the one-year anniversary of the Declaration, it wasn’t commonly observed as a holiday until after the defeat of the British in the War of 1812. I guess people wanted to make sure that first win wasn’t a fluke.

-- Despite popular belief, it hasn’t been definitively shown that Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. There is some speculation she outsourced the job to China.

-- New Jersey delegate Francis Hopkinson claimed to have designed the early stars and stripes design of the flag and billed Congress “a quarter cask of the public wine” for his efforts. Congress came back with a counter offer of a fifth of Boone’s Farm.

-- Tradition holds the U.S. flag should never touch the ground or water. Or Barack Obama’s lapel.

-- Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826. Contrary to rumors, the deaths were purely coincidental and not the result of some bad potato salad at the Founding Fathers Annual Picnic.

-- Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence enumerated three inalienable rights endowed by the creator; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A fourth, the right to free refills on fountain drinks, was voted down by the delegates.

-- The American national anthem, the “Star-Spangled Banner,” is set to the tune of an English drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heaven.” So all those guys chugging beer at the start of the ball game aren’t getting drunk, they’re toasting their country’s British heritage.

-- In 1805 the first Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi occurred at Independence Creek as the holiday was observed by the exploration party of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. An awkward moment occurred when Sacagawea showed up at the picnic without bringing a covered dish to share.

Enjoy the holiday.

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E-mail Brent Batten at bebatten@naplesnews.com