July!!!

Well folks, summer has finally arrived and I couldn't be happier about it. To usher in the summer, here are some fun facts about the wonderful month of July.

The Roman Senate named the month 'Julius,' in honor of Julius Casesar in 46 B.C.

The gem of July is the ruby and the flower is the water lily.

Independance Day is observed in the United States on July 4th. On that day in 1776, the Contintenal Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Fireworks are the main attraction to look forward to on the 4th of July. Here is fireworks 101:

Fireworks first appeared around 1000 A.D., in Chinese religious ceremonies.

Various metal salts are used to create the colored explosions. Barium makes green, copper makes blue, and aluminum creates all the sparkle.

To make different shapes, a chemical mixture is glued to wax paper in the form that it will take when it explodes. Next, the paper is put inside a spherical shell made of cardboard or some other paper. Several are fired off at the same time to give the appearance of three dimensions.

The United States imported around $217 million worth of fireworks in 2007, with $207 million of that coming from China.