This day will be remembered in American history, wrote John Adams in 1776. People will honor it with fireworks and celebrations.
这一天将被美国历史所铭记，约翰·亚当斯（John Adams）在1776年这么写到，人们会用焰火和庆典来纪念这天。

He was talking about the second of July.
他当时说的是7月2日。

That is the day the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from the British. But the date written on the Declaration of Independence is July 4. So, since 1776, Americans have honored July 4 as the country's Independence Day.
这天，美国大陆会议投票支持从英国独立出来。但是写在独立宣言中的日期是7月4日。所以从1776年以来，美国人将7月4日作为国家独立日来纪念。

And July 2? Not so much.
而7月2日？无关紧要！

Patriotic to the end
爱国到底

Several early U.S. presidents died on July 4. They include John Adams, who became the second U.S. president, even though he made a mistake about the country's most important national holiday. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the country's third president, both died on the country's 50th anniversary of Independence Day.
几位早期的美国总统都在7月4日去世，其中包括第二任美国总统亚当斯。虽然他在美国最重要的全国性节日上犯了个错误。亚当斯和美国第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊（Thomas Jefferson）都在美国独立日50周年时去世。

James Monroe, the country's fifth president, died on July 4, 1831.
美国第五任总统詹姆斯·门罗（James Monroe）在1831年7月4日去世。

And the country's 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4.
而美国第三十任总统卡尔文·柯立芝（Calvin Coolidge）出生于7月4日。

Amazing? Or disgusting?
吃惊？还是反感？

Most Americans celebrate Independence Day with barbecues, parades and, yes, fireworks. But a few celebrate by eating all the hot dogs they can.
大多数美国人用烧烤、游行或焰火来庆祝独立日。但也有少数人以尽其所能吃完所有热狗来庆祝。

Since the early 1970s, a restaurant called Nathan's Famous has hosted a competition to see who can eat the most hot dogs in a short time. The event is now shown on major sports channels. It includes a women's contest and a men's contest. Both are held in New York City, in a part of town called Coney Island.
自20世纪70年代以来，一家名为Nathan's Famous的餐厅一直举办比赛，看谁能在短时间内吃最多的热狗。该活动现在在主要体育频道播出。比赛包括女子组比赛和男子组比赛。两组比赛都在纽约市康尼岛小镇举行。

For the last eight years, a man named Joey Chestnut has won the men's contest. In 2014, he ate 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
在过去八年里都是一位名为Joey Chestnut的男子赢得男子组比赛。2014年，他在10分钟内吃下了61个热狗。

The 2014 women's winner, Miki Sudo, ate 34 hot dogs.
2014年女子组比赛的冠军Miki Sudo吃下了34个热狗。

Where do those fireworks come from?
庆典焰火来自哪里？

Let's go back to those fireworks, probably the most common image related to Independence Day. Americans really, really love fireworks. The America n Pyrotechnic Association – "pyrotechnic" is another word for "fireworks" – reported that Americans spent $675 million on fireworks last year.
让我们回到焰火上，它可能是独立日发布的最为常见的图片。美国人真的很喜欢焰火。美洲焰火协会报道称，去年美国人在焰火上花了6.75亿美元。

Most ordinary people buy about $100 worth. Cities and towns spend between $5,000 and $30,000 to put on a public show.
大多数老百姓会购买价值100美元左右的焰火。各个城镇花费5千到3万美元举办焰火晚会。

The biggest fireworks show is in New York City. It costs about $2 million.
最大的焰火晚会在纽约市，它大约花费2百万美元。

Where do many of our fireworks come from? China.
大多数焰火来自哪里？中国！

By the way, we also import most of our American flags from China, too.
顺口说一句，大部分美国国旗也是从中国进口的。

Happy Independence Day!
独立日快乐！