Many people die at 25 and aren't buried until they are 75. - Ben Franklin
To help you fully embrace your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness this Independence Day, we're kicking off the long weekend a day early with Free Shipping site-wide and our ramblin', meanderin' Guide to the 4th. |
Independence Day was supposed to be celebrated on July 2nd. The legal separation of the 13 Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, leading John Adams to write, "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America." |
Speaking of John Adams ... both he and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. |
1802 - Duty, honor, country. The U.S. Military Academy opens in Westpoint, NY. |
1845 - Henry David Thoreau moves to a cabin on Walden Pond, which inspires his book, Walden. |
1939 - Lou Gehrig tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he's, "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from baseball. |
OVER THE TOP: Stallone plays a truck driver who has to arm wrestle his way to get his kid back. Please watch this. | | POINT BREAK: Keanu. Swayze. Busey. Other guys snort for it, jab a vein for it -- all you gotta do is... watch. |
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THE SANDLOT: "Heroes get remembered but legends never die." This movie is a legend. | | BLOOD SPORT: Please ignore Rotten Tomatoes' 33% critic rating. |
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(Yes, we enjoyed the research.) |
EMILY RATJKOWSKI | | BROOKLYN DECKER | | ASHLEY SKY |
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Here are the drinks you used to drink on July 4th... |
SURGE | | SQUEEZIT | | CRYSTAL PEPSI |
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Here are the drinks you should be drinking on July 4th... |
LIBERTY ALE BY ANCHOR BREWING | | ELIOT NESS BY GREAK LAKES BREWING | | PORCH ROCKER BY SAMUEL ADAMS |
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NEW: NEEDLE BY BORN RUFFIANS: Fleet Foxes meet Vampire Weekend = your next summer song. | | OLD: BORN IN THE U.S.A. BY THE BOSS: The quintessential July 4th tune from the hardest working guy in the music biz. |
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HEMLOFT TREEHOUSE: An idyllic retreat in the Whistler woods that was built in secret on “borrowed” land. | | ICONIC STYLE - BORG AND MCENROE: Tennis’s best rivalry. Tennis’s best match. We revisit the 1980 Wimbledon Men’s Final. |
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MEN AND MACHINES: Five famous authors. Five typewriters. We look at what the machine says about the man. | | PORTABLE BEACH HOUSE: A coastal New Zealand home moves with the shifting sands of coastal erosion. |
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PHOTOGRAPHING FIREWORKS: Cool photos and some great tips for shooting, er, photographing fireworks. / National Geographic | | CREEPIEST JULY 4TH CELEBRATION: The town of Salem, Mass. used to hold huge bonfires on Gallows Hill, the site of a Witch Trial execution. / Streets of Salem | | TSA INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: The TSA just started an Instagram account to share all of their favorite confiscated items. / Instagram |
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