Fourth of July

Stories 41 - 60 | << Prev   Next >>

New Jersey Reopens Beaches for 4th of July

Chris Christie will have to share the beach

(Newser) - A budget deal has been reached in New Jersey, meaning state beaches will be open to people other than Gov. Chris Christie and his family in time for the Fourth of July holiday. Christie—who was strongly criticized for sunning himself on a beach closed to the public as part...

7 Other Things That Happened on the 4th of July

Happy birthday, Hotmail!

(Newser) - If you don't feel like celebrating Independence Day this year, Ranker has a list of more than 30 other things that also happened on July 4. A sampling:
  • Slavery was abolished in New York. The children born to slaves in the state were freed on July 4 in 1799;
...

This Is Most Dangerous Firework You Can Buy: Study

Shell-and-mortar-style fireworks responsible for 39% of injuries

(Newser) - More than one-third of all fireworks-related injuries are caused by shell-and-mortar-style fireworks, making them the most dangerous Fourth of July pyrotechnic on the market, according to a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine . The Seattle Times reports approximately 10,500 people in the US are treated for...

NC Couple's Alleged Assault Weapon: Pizza Rolls

Fireworks of a different kind on the Fourth of July

(Newser) - There's nothing more American than mom, baseball, apple pie—or, on the Fourth of July in North Carolina, pizza rolls and assault. WJZY reports that 24-year-old Brad Scott Beard and 21-year-old Samantha Brooke Canipe were arrested early Monday and charged with misdemeanor assault after they apparently declared their independence...

Man's Flag Burning Fires Up Internet, Gets Him Arrested

But it wasn't Bryton Mellott's free-speech exercise alone that brought the heat

(Newser) - In almost 30 years, the Urbana Police Department hasn't had to enforce a flag desecration statute on the books, but that changed Monday with the arrest of a 22-year-old Illinois man, Forbes reports. Bryton Mellott posted pictures on Facebook Sunday showing him burning the American flag (only one image...

Teen Loses Leg, Maybe Sight From DIY 'Sparkler Bomb'

15-year-old Texas boy tied nearly 200 sparklers together before lighting them

(Newser) - Even a single sparkler on the Fourth of July can cause harm —and a Texas teen learned they're even more dangerous when you tie a bunch of them together, NBC News reports. Rowdy Radford, 15, was at his aunt's home in Sargent on Saturday when he decided...

PBS Slammed for 'Fake' Fireworks Footage

It used stock footage during 'live' broadcast

(Newser) - Noticed something a bit off about PBS' A Capitol Fourth broadcast Monday? So did hundreds of people who took to Facebook and Twitter, per NBC News . Though host Tom Bergeron initially laughed off concerns that the live concert and fireworks display over Washington would be rained out, per the Washington ...

Veteran Saves a Bald Eagle Officials Left for Dead

'Fourth of July, you know, that's our bird'

(Newser) - In one of the most American stories to surface on Fourth of July weekend or any other weekend, a military vet in Minnesota used his sharpshooting skills to free a bald eagle named Freedom. The bird had been entangled in rope in a tree for more than two days when...

9-Year-Old Girl Loses Hand to Fireworks at Park

She picked one up in Compton

(Newser) - A second serious injury blamed on fireworks in as many days: A 9-year-old girl in California lost her entire left hand and fingers on her right hand after the accident at a park in Compton on Sunday, reports NBC4 News . Her family tells CBS Los Angeles that the girl picked...

Phoenix Bans Old West-Style Shooting Game at July 4 Fest

City 'not comfortable' showing guns 'in a fun or glorified way'

(Newser) - An Arizona couple's Old West-style shooting game will not be among the activities at a July Fourth celebration in Phoenix on Monday night, the AP reports. Pete and Valerie Fowler say Prescott Pete's Highfalutin Shooting Gallery was deemed inappropriate by organizers of Fabulous Phoenix 4th. According to a...

John Adams Wanted Independence Day on July 2nd

The day congress voted for independence, not the Declaration of Independence

(Newser) - Maybe it was just John Adams' favorite number, but America's second president was a big proponent of a different Independence Day: Specifically, July 2nd, the day that the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, reports CBS News in a bit of an Independence Day history primer. July 4th...

Doctors Find Source of Woman's Pain: Stray Bullet

She thought firecracker hit her days earlier

(Newser) - A Florida woman says she was shot in the leg while sitting at a café on Independence Day, but she didn't realize it until doctors found the bullet five days later. Heather Charlebois tells the Daytona Beach News-Journal that after days of pain from what she initially thought was...

Pals Tried to Stop Man From Lighting Firework on Head

But Devon Staples' brother says it was just a 'freak accident'

(Newser) - A 22-year-old who once entertained kids at Disney World died in what his brother calls a "freak accident" on July 4. Devon Staples of Calais, Maine, had been drinking and celebrating the Fourth in a friend's backyard when he set a firework off of his own head, a...

Guy Shoots Firework Off Own Head, Dies

Yes, alcohol was involved

(Newser) - The combination of drunk Americans and pyrotechnics often proves tragic and fatal on the nation's birthday, and this year's Fourth of July was no exception: As the Press Herald reports, 22-year-old Devon Staples apparently set off a firework on top of his own head last night, instantly killing...

Billy Joel Marries in a Surprise July 4 Wedding

Weds longtime girlfriend Alexis Roderick on Long Island estate

(Newser) - Billy Joel wed longtime girlfriend Alexis Roderick yesterday, turning the couple's annual Fourth of July party at the Piano Man's Long Island estate into a surprise wedding, reports People . The couple, 66 and 33 and together since 2009, are expecting a baby daughter this summer. Joel's 29-year-old...

9 Treated for Burns in Fireworks Misfire

Show in Colorado has a gaffe

(Newser) - The first big fireworks fail of the holiday is out of Avon, Colorado, where an accident during a show last night left nine people with minor burns. It happened about 17 minutes into the festivities, when a shell apparently exploded in its tube instead of soaring into the sky, reports...

Why This Weekend May Be Worst in Years on Roads

Traffic is up, and the holiday falls on a Saturday

(Newser) - The Fourth of July weekend is always a relatively dangerous one for drivers, but this year's may be particularly bad. The National Safety Council predicts 409 deaths and 49,500 injuries on the roads between 6pm tomorrow and 11:59 pm Sunday, the highest projected numbers for the holiday...

3 Foods That the Experts Won't Touch

And other food-safety tips to keep your July 4th rolling

(Newser) - Nothing can put a damper on your July 4th barbecue like rain—except maybe food safety experts, some of whom give USA Today pointers on how to avoid celebrations that end with you running for the bathroom. Doug Powell of the aptly-named barfblog.com starts with a few foods he...

What Fireworks Really Are: the Sound of War

Maybe it's time we lose them from our July 4 celebrations, writes Sarah Miller

(Newser) - When Sarah Miller, then roughly 20, heard a "nonspecific rat-a-tat-tat" while catching a movie at a theater in Bogota, Colombia, she, along with everyone else, panicked. It turned out to be fireworks intended to commemorate the mall's anniversary, but hearing them "divorced from the context of potato...

Now a Hurricane, Arthur Heads for the Carolinas

Forget those 4th of July barbecues, NC gov says

(Newser) - Arthur strengthened to a hurricane early today, threatening to give North Carolina a glancing blow on Independence Day, prompting the governor to warn vacationers along the coast not to risk their safety by trying to salvage their picnics and barbecues. "Don't put your stupid hat on," warned...

Stories 41 - 60 | << Prev   Next >>