Anna Paulina Luna kicks off Fourth of July weekend with message for the LIBS, ‘Back it up, Terry’ & fireworks
From horseflies and wool coats in Philadelphia to Chinese-made fireworks, the 4th of July has changed beyond recognition
It’s 5 a.m. as I begin to type out this 4th of July edition of Screencaps, and I’m left wondering if any of the founding fathers had a 13-year-old son who begged to run a 4-mile race before the Continental Congress sat down to adopt the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago today.
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)