As we grill hot dogs on America's 234th birthday, it's hard to imagine what it might have been like for a group of backwater colonists to draft a hostile breakup letter to one of the world's greatest superpowers -- even going so far as to publicly talk trash about their King. In order to better understand the origins of America's beloved Independence Day, our love of amateur fireworks, and burning effigies, Holidash caught up with Dr. Libby O'Connell, the Chief Historian at HISTORY.

When the Continental Congress met in the summer of 1776, it became obvious that the delegates were leaning toward a new system of government, free of British rule. However, the idea was not necessarily the overwhelming will of the majority. Contrary to popular belief, "There wasn't a 'Let's Declare Independence' campaign for years and years before the war. In 1770, most colonists considered themselves loyal British citizens," Dr. O'Connell tells Holidash.

Even after the fighting began in 1775, experts estimate that "Roughly 25% of colonists were loyalists, 25% were ardent revolutionaries, and the rest were back and forth," explains O'Connell. The Declaration of Independence helped unify the rebelling colonies under a common goal: To throw off the "tyranny" and "despotism" of King George III once and for all.

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Right smack in the middle of the holiday doldrums comes the most explosive holiday on the American calendar: Independence Day. Coinciding with summer vacation, peak travel season, and Nathan's famous hot-dog eating contest, America's birthday bash stands above it all, like a beacon of freedom and liberty in a sweaty sea of people looking for an excuse to party.

The timing is perfect (props to the founding fathers for picking such a convenient date) because it allows Americans a chance to prepare a proper salute to their independence, amassing a seemingly ridiculous stockpile of fireworks, hot dogs, and adult beverages in the process. Just how much do we stockpile during this time of intense patriotism?

The American Pyrotechnics Association gauges fireworks sales by weight (we have no idea what that means in terms of explosive power, unfortunately). But it's still an impressive number: Back in 2000, the APA reports that Americans bought 102 million pounds of fireworks. By 2008, fireworks sales work up to over 213.2 million pounds, resulting in an estimated 7,000 fireworks related trips to the ER.

And, don't call you stock broker or anything, but the APA predicts booming fireworks sales despite the sputtering economy this year. They attribute that to both an upswing in patriotism and to the fact that more states than ever before (46 plus the District of Columbia) now allow the sale of consumer fireworks. In fact, cash-strapped municipalities in certain parts of the country have relaxed regulations in order to boost tax revenues.

OK, so we're good on fireworks. How are we fixed for hot dogs? Not only is July 4th the top weekend for hot dog sales each year, but the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (yes, it exists) has even declared July to be the official "Hot Dog Month." According to the experts at the NHDSC, Americans consume about 150 million dogs on July 4th -- or as they put it, "enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times." Don't forget the mustard!

Time to check the cooler. On the alcoholic beverages front, America's birthday bash is the unrivaled champion in terms of overall beer sales. According to Neilsen, we bought roughly 63.5 million cases, or 2 billion servings of beer in preparation for Independence Day 2009. Our forefathers must be so proud; after all, isn't a cold beer exactly what they had in mind when they secured our right to the pursuit of happiness?

Want some more fun Fourth of July facts? Check out Holidash's Fourth of July By The Numbers.

If Mother's Day gift-giving is uninspired (and it certainly is) Father's Day shopping is a sad joke. Neckties, patriotic boxer shorts, and personalized coffee mugs...I mean, talk about phoning it in.

To tell the truth, Dad probably doesn't even care about getting recognition for his noble fatherly efforts, that's just how dads are. Likewise, he knows darn well that Mother's Day came first and that Father's Day was a politically correct afterthought dreamed up at Hallmark HQ.

That said, you're eventually going to wind up caving in to your guilty conscience and getting dad a gift this year anyway -- and for once, your gift might as well not suck. Sure, that sounds great and all, but how is that done, exactly?

Glad you asked. To come up with some Father's Day gift ideas that your dad might actually like or want, aside from a cold six-pack of beer or a bar of Sam Adam's beer soap (Father's Day is the 4th biggest weekend for US beer sales), we've asked five real live dads to answer the following question: If your kids/spouse could read your mind, what would they get you for Father's Day this year?

Here are their answers.

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June 12 is World Naked Bike Ride Day. No, we did not make that up.

Wanna feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the peering eyes of confused neighbors on your naked parts as you ride a bike through a major US city? Well you'd better mark June 12th on your calendar, because that's the day when thousands of people around the world will be taking part in what's known as the World Naked Bike Ride.

This year, official rides will be taking place in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Portland, and a few other bike-friendly cities. Times, dates and public nudity laws vary from state to state, so you'll need to consult the WNBR's official wiki to get details about your ride -- and about how little clothing to wear. But be prepared for a certain level of secrecy; a few of the better-organized rides will only broadcast the route via text messages to participants on the day of the event, to prevent gawkers, we assume.

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This Father's Day, give Dad a gift that gives back (instead of a gift he would like to give back).

Let's face it: Shopping for Father's Day can be tough. Sure you can buy another necktie or some golf balls, but what if you want something that says, "Thanks for making me a better person, Dad"? If your dad is the type who puts a premium on making the world a better place, we've got an idea for you.

A Part of Something Big is a fund raising organization with a full lineup of cool Father's Day gifts that are as thoughtful as your old man. In addition to offering a selection of fairly traded products with small ecological footprints, A Part of Something Big contributes 25% of each purchase to benefit the charity of your (or your Dad's) choice. It's a win-win all around.

To get the lowdown on this year's best socially-aware Father's Day gift items, Holidash tracked down A Part of Something Big co-founder Richard Averitt, and picked his brain about what's hot for cool Dads this Father's Day.

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Remember last fall's pumpkin shortage? It's not over yet.

According to the Washington Post, , the nation is currently facing a crushing pumpkin deficit. Central Illinois produces 95% of America's commercial pumpkin harvest, and with another bad year, the pumpkin shortage could reach catastrophic levels.

For the past three growing seasons, conditions in America's pumpkin patch (Central Illinois) have been disrupted by heavy rains and a major lack of sunshine. Unlike most of us, pumpkin farmers there are praying for a hot, dry summer. That way, they may not have to spend yet another harvest watching their crops rot while they try to dig their tractors out of the mud.

Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that Libby's inventory of 100% Pure Pumpkin (the gold standard in the canned pumpkin industry) has dwindled down to six cans ... kept in the marketing manager's office. That's it.

Signs are encouraging, however. Libby's has expanded its operations to avoid another year of shortfall. At this point, climatologists say that the weather seems to be cooperating -- though rainfall is still 1.5 inches over the average, according to the Post.

At a time when Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is being sold on eBay by stockpilers, you have to wonder if America's pumpkin industry will be able to ramp up production fast enough to meet the upcoming holiday demand. One can only imagine the bitter confrontations that could arise on supermarket aisles over the fair distribution of pumpkin pie's raw materials.

Will you and your kids be carving a creepy jack o'lantern face into a squash next Halloween? Will you have to buy your pumpkin pie on the black market for Thanksgiving? Or -- even worse -- serve something else for Thanksgiving dessert?

Memorial Day is a somber holiday in which we take time to honor those who have fallen protecting what America stands for. But it is also the first weekend of summer, and there is perhaps no better tribute to the American way of life than firing up the barbeque grill.



We've told you how to fly your flag with respect, but how do you get your grill ready to honor America? Holidash has put together a guide that will help you prepare your grill to be an appropriate vessel for a proper Memorial Day tribute barbeque -- because the fires of freedom shouldn't burn in a gross, crusty grill.

Most grill masters never seem to get around to the whole cleaning thing (we know this because we don't). So let us take this holiday -- a holiday in which many grills are firing up for the first time this year -- as an opportunity to shame you into breaking out the elbow grease to knock that nasty grill-funk off your BBQ machinery.

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It's spring, and while a young man's fancy may indeed turn to love, many young women's fancies turn to weddings -- or at least to the details of their own weddings. But how many weddings will take place this summer? And how much will they cost? And is June really the best month to tie the knot?

Let's start with the cost: No single number illustrates wedding fever's impact more than the price tag. According to the Bridal Association of America, Americans spent almost $71.8B on 2.32 million weddings in 2009. That doesn't include the engagement ring, which will set you back an average of $5,487. Just for starters.

The average cost of a wedding in 2009 was, according to the BAA, was a whopping $30,860. Yikes! The average price tag seems to jump roughly $1,000 per year. That means you better get hitched soon if you wanna lock in a price in the low $30s, or join the 6% of people who opt for a Justice of the Peace wedding.

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On Friday, millions of Americans will be busily loading the family car and preparing their coolers for a big honkin weekend-long Memorial Day extravaganza. Of those millions, however, only a small percentage are actually sure what exactly it is that they're memorializing.

Are we commemorating the Civil War, or World War II? Or is Memorial Day perhaps a tribute to Abraham Lincoln and JFK? Most of us simply understand that as long as we fly Old Glory this weekend, we've got all our bases covered.

So where amidst the barbeques, blowout sales, and news reports about gas prices lies the true meaning of Memorial Day? To set us straight on this roughly 142 year-old holiday, we've enlisted the help of History's chief historian, Dr. Libby O'Connell.

Simply put, O'Connell says, Memorial Day "commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the US military. It began after the Civil War, when it was called Decoration Day, because people would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers." Immediately following the war, the holiday was observed on different dates according to each state and region.

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Which NBA playoff match-up is truly the hottest? We know that the Lakers vs.Thunder match-up was history in the making. And Los Suns vs. Spurs match-up well, that one's always been a scorcher. Still, when it comes to loyal NBA fans, which playoff teams have managed to capture the biggest audiences?

You might think this one is a no-brainer. If you guessed that the Lakers, with their massive media market, courtside movie stars, and that all-star roster have to be dominating the ratings -- you'd be right. However, last week's nail-biter against the Oklahoma Thunder wasn't the most watched game of the playoffs thus far.

The biggest game in town (and by town I mean the NBA Playoffs) was last Saturday's match-up between the Celtics and Cavaliers (two ginormous media markets), with a grand total of 5.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The Lakers hold second and third place in cable TV ratings for games five and six in their series with the Thunder. I still think it's too bad there wasn't a game seven.

In terms of actual butts in the seats, there is yet another victor to crown. Now this category can get a bit tricky, since it depends not only on the level of support displayed by a team's loyal and rabid fans but also the size of the stadium. However, the leader up to this point is clear.

In terms of overall attendance, the series between the Cavs and the Bulls averaged 21,533.6 spectators per game (I'd hate to be the .6) and every game in the five-game series was a sellout, according to the NBA's box score. Runners up trophies (by virtue of having smaller arenas) go to the following series, each game of which was sold out: The Jazz and Nuggets went six games with an average attendance of 19,533 and the Lakers and Thunder went six games with an average attendance of 18,669.5.

Honorable mentions for the second round go to fans of the Cavs, Celtics, Lakers Spurs, and Suns. Up to this point in the playoffs, these teams have yet to play a home game that wasn't a sell-out. So host a playoff party and remind your guests that your living room may be the closest they'll get to courtside this season.