Here I am this morning celebrating freedom with a 7 a.m.starting line meetup time for Screencaps Jr.
with thunderstorms in the area.I was in bed last night by 9:30.
It was probably a very similar night to the one Benjamin Franklin had on July 3, 1776.He was 70 at the time and about to sign the most important document in the history of the world the next morning.
One has to believe Franklin got in the sack early ahead of his big day.So now I'm up and ready to experience a day and a world that the Declaration signers wouldn't believe.We'll probably stop and get a coffee made by purple-hair LIBS at a drive-thru in our 2023 Honda Odyssey while listening to a radio powered by satellites.
Thomas Jefferson's head would explode over the thought of Americans sitting in line at Starbucks and scrolling through a phone with 24/7 internet access and the ability to communicate in real-time with humans around the world.A painting by John Trumbull from 1818 depicts the Committee of Five—Adams, Livingston, Sherman, Jefferson, and Franklin—presenting their draft of the Declaration of Independence.(iStock)Just think, we can send a text from our couches right now and tell people in Great Britain to eff-off.Based on records from July 4, 1776, we know that the boys got together at 9 a.m.
for a meeting.Horseflies were a major issue.
It was 76 degrees that day in 1776.The record also states that the boys were wearing heavy wool coats and silk stockings in the middle of summer in Philly.
Just imagine!Now, with the freedoms extended to us due to that precious document signed that day, we now have access to sweat-wicking long-sleeve shirts, mainly made in China, that help us battle the sweltering sun.THE LESSON WE CAN LEARN FROM BICENTENNIAL HISTORY IS TO PARTY LIKE IT’S 1976Times sure have changed.LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, NEVADA - JUNE 30: A 300-foot-wide by 150-foot-tall American flag is suspended across the Hoover Dam on June 30, 2026 in the Lake Mead National Recre...