The population in the U.S. during the Revolutionary War was 2.5 million, or about the same as the number of deer hunters currently in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania combined.Ben Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey instead of the bald eagle. -photo by birdfreak.comGeorge Washington was a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and was quoted saying: “The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.”The U.S. imports about $217 million in fireworks each year. -Photo by: Maximo LopezAt least 30 towns have “eagle” in their name. The most populous is Eagle Pass, Texas, which has 26,668 residents. Photo by: Tambako150 million hotdogs are eaten on the Fourth of July. Photo by: Herman YoungFourth of July weekend is one of the busiest weekends for national parks including Yellowstone National Park. Last year, 900,515 people visited Yellowstone in July. Photo by: Christopher ConnellIndependence Day weekend is also the number one occasion for beer sales in the U.S., ahead of Memorial Day, Labor Day and even Super Bowl Sunday.There are four national forests named after Presidents: The George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, The Roosevelt National Forest, The Lincoln National Forest and the Cleveland National Forest (named after Grover Cleveland). Here’s Teddy dressed as a Badlands hunter.The Kaibab Plateau in Arizona and the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, two areas now famous for trophy deer hunting, were virtually deerless in 1776 due to a lack of forage, according to the writings of Aldo Leopold. Photo by: Andy TempletonMany outdoorsmen and women head for campgrounds on the Fourth, and more and more are using motor homes. The largest motor home in the world is called DerBus, which has two decks with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining area and bathroom all on the upper deck. The lower half consists of the driver area, a conference area, reception, bar, vehicle garage and storage room. The vehicle is almost 60 feet long, which is longer than many tractor trailers.It’s estimated that there were about 10-15 deer per square mile in the U.S before European settlement. Now many regions in the country double that number. Photo by: MichaelGeorge Washington and Congress ordered the construction of two factories to build muskets and rifles for the Revolutionary War: the Springfield Armory and the Harpers Ferry Armory.Each year about 10,000 Americans are treated in hospitals due to fireworks injuries, but very few of them are fatal.
Alex Robinson is Outdoor Life’s editor-in-chief. He oversees an ace team of writers, photographers, and editors who are scattered across the continent and cover everything from backcountry sheep hunting to trail running.
