“The day will be the most memorable in the history of America,” wrote John Adams in 1776. People will honor it with parades, fireworks and celebrations, he added. Adams was talking about the second of July. That is the day the Continental Congress voted in support of independence from the British. But the date written on the Declaration of Independence is July 4. So, since 1776, Americans have celebrated July 4 as the country’s Independence Day. And July 2? Not so much. Several early presidents of the United States died on July 4. They include John Adams, who became the second president. Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president, both died on the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence Day. James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president, died on July 4, 1831. And the 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4. Most Americans celebrate Independence Day with barbecues, parades and, yes, fireworks. But a few celebrate by eating all the hot dogs they can.