Today is one of America’s most important holidays of the year, Independence Day. It comes on an odd day-of-the-week, because most Americans will be docked a day’s pay if they also took off Monday. So it’s likely that long distance celebrations with relatives — a trademark of the 4th of July — might occur less this year.

America’s Independence Day holiday has lost much of its context over the last 220 years. Unlike many African countries, for example, there is no living memory of independence, just what the books tell us.

Yet it remains one of the most universally celebrated holidays on the calendar. It’s summer in America, perfect for parades, games and … baseball, the national sport! And from my earliest memories as a a child what I continue to associate the holiday with most are fireworks!