Today begins one of America’s most important holidays of the year, Independence Day! Technically July 4th, Monday, most Americans have extended the weekend to begin today. The 4-day holiday will see more Americans “on the road,” driving pretty long distances to celebrate with relatives and friends or just taking a short vacation than ever before, mostly because of very low petrol prices.

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!