Born On The Fourth Of July

I guess this is an AmericanCulturalAssumption thing. But what does it mean?

FourthOfJuly: July Fourth is the day the United States declared its independence.

July 4 happens to be my birthday, which means that restaurants are full of ex-pat Americans if I want to eat out. Perhaps they would buy me a drink or something.

Would it help me get a work permit perhaps? JoeOtten

The phrase is from the Irving Berlin song "Yankee Doodle Dandy", where the song goes:

 a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
 BornOnTheFourthOfJuly

It's kinda a vapid, gee-whiz, ain't it great to be American thing to say. It was also the title of an Oliver Stone film about Ron Kovic, a disabled Vietnam vet, which sorta takes the opposite tack.

Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the Forth of July (1872). -- http://www.envirobx.com/Bryan_henry_fourthofjuly.htm

However, two presidents died on July 4th (1826) - Jefferson and Adams.

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See also WardCunningham's kinnetic sculpture "American Glory" which captures these feeling so perfectly. http://c2.com/~ward/glory/

• "Ward's careful attention to the ironic ontologies of modern military industrial disthaestic gestalt is simultaneously an homage to the jejeune inventions of an assassimated feudo-pluto-hypno-mechastate, and the old, old challenge to disingenuity in all art everywhere. Let's hope he sells 'em by the sack. --WikiArtCritic

• Brilliant, this young artist ties it all together in this piece, a collector's dream --WikiArtCritic

The "Glory" video is now available in WindowsMedia? compatible format.