# "Don't you guys have an independence day?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549 "2004-07-04T22:19:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/61 "2004-07-07T12:18:21Z")
[QUOTE=Steve Wright] \*\* looks at **owlstretchingtime** ’s link \*\* Diana Day? _Diana Day???_ Where’s the projectile vomiting smiley when you need it? “Celebrate the achievements of the late Diana Princess of Wales”, indeed. You don’t need a whole day for _that_ … you’d need to pad it out a bit to get five seconds. “Looked winsome for the TV cameras”, and that’s about it. [QUOTE] Think of the attractions - for a whole day you get to be self-absorbed, shag anything that moves, get coked up to the gills and get driven round at 100mph by pissed frenchmen. Beats flying flags in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/62 "2004-07-07T20:32:22Z")
> [@Ross](#): > > [St George](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%5B/url) > > I love Wikipedia. I mean it. I love it as a man loves a woman. That’s beautiful, **Ross**. St. George is really popular all over Europe–the patron saint of Catalonia, Genoa, Malta, Portugal, and so forth, in addition to England. Why? Because he’s cool. Do you really need another reason? And St. George’s Day is April 23rd simply because that’s his feast day. Except in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where it’s November 3rd. Oh, and except for Malta, which celebrates it on the fourth sunday of June–_except_ on the Maltese island of Gozo, which celebrates it on the third Sunday of July. So it’s naturally April 23rd, except when it’s Nov. 3rd, June 26, or July 17. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/63 "2004-07-07T22:31:12Z")
> [@Steve Wright](#): > > There used to be an Empire Day, didn’t there? Back when we had an empire. “…to commemorate Empire Day, when we try to remember the names of all those from the Sudbury area who so gallantly gave their lives to keep China British.” From Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/64 "2004-07-07T22:58:44Z")
I like the previous suggestion of ‘cup of tea and Countdown day.’ But surely the English will be celebrating 1966… ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/65 "2004-07-08T09:45:27Z")
> [@glee](#): > > But surely the English will be celebrating 1966… We don’t like to mention that too much. Ask any Scotsman 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/66 "2004-07-09T06:54:52Z")
What about “Bangers and Faggots Day”? :giggle: That said, what are some other “National” holidays in other places around the world? Of course, we have “Canada Day” up here in… well… Canada. Eh? Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2004, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/67 "2004-07-09T10:33:06Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > Which leads to something I’ve always wondered about. > > What’s proper manners for a poor 'umble Yank when faced with the prospect of celebrating July 4th with some folks around from Great Britain? > > It somehow seems rude to say ‘Dude, let’s go celebrate that time we made the first chink in your world bestriding empire!’ First of all, I doubt if the majority of Britons even really _know_ that July 4th celebrates the USA’s independence from Britain. And in any case, those that do know are hardly likely to take offence. I mean, come on, this was in seventeen-_mumblety-mumble_. Now that the Queen Mum and Barbara Cartland are dead, there’s nobody left who was around then. ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/68 "2004-07-10T12:57:15Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > First of all, I doubt if the majority of Britons even really _know_ that July 4th celebrates the USA’s independence from Britain. > > And in any case, those that do know are hardly likely to take offence. I mean, come on, this was in seventeen-_mumblety-mumble_. Now that the Queen Mum and Barbara Cartland are dead, there’s nobody left who was around then. You’ve not got much faith in the British education system have you? Everyone i know is well aware of what the 4th july is. I reckon that % wise, less americans know the significance of 4th july than britons. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/69 "2004-07-10T18:04:56Z")
Perhaps we could have a Python Day. Eventually I think Scotland will have an independence day, but an extra day of fun and merriment never hurt anyone. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/70 "2004-07-11T19:11:05Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > First of all, I doubt if the majority of Britons even really _know_ that July 4th celebrates the USA’s independence from Britain. I don’t think you’re giving the British public enough credit either. I’m pretty sure most know what Independance Day is about. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/71 "2004-07-11T19:43:13Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > And in any case, those that do know are hardly likely to take offence. I mean, come on, this was in seventeen-_mumblety-mumble_. Now that the Queen Mum and Barbara Cartland are dead, there’s nobody left who was around then. As others said, we know, but we don’t know the details. One detail I heard, can you confirm, that After America gained it’s independence britain wanted to be alies almost immediately and America obliged. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/72 "2004-07-11T20:00:29Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > As others said, we know, but we don’t know the details. One detail I heard, can you confirm, that After America gained it’s independence britain wanted to be alies almost immediately and America obliged. I don’t know about “immediately.” We did have that war in 1812, after all, which was almost forty years after independence. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/73 "2004-07-11T20:04:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t know about “immediately.” We did have that war in 1812, after all, which was almost forty years after independence. Minor nitpick here. While we uppity colonials declared independance in 1776, the motherland didn’t accept reality until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, it’s only 30 years after they accepted independance. (And the _casus belli_ for the war of 1812 certainly leaves room for doubt about how… sincere His Majesty’s government was about accepting that.) Hey, I did say it was a minor nitpick, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/74 "2004-07-11T20:31:27Z")
> [@AngelicGemma](#): > > I don’t think you’re giving the British public enough credit either. I’m pretty sure most know what Independance Day is about. It was that one time when the aliens invaded and blew up the White House and Jeff Goldblum turned into a fly and gave them all the common cold, after which one of the aliens died, but then he came back to life and they ran away from the cops on those flying bicycles. Meanwhile, pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy… ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/75 "2004-07-12T11:15:06Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Eventually I think Scotland will have an independence day… Something to guarantee joyous celebrations either side of Hadrian’s Wall. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549/76 "2004-07-12T11:23:10Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > It was that one time when the aliens invaded and blew up the White House and Jeff Goldblum turned into a fly and gave them all the common cold, after which one of the aliens died, but then he came back to life and they ran away from the cops on those flying bicycles. > > Meanwhile, pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy… 😃😃😃 Nice work. That’s exactly it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-guys-have-an-independence-day/253549.md?page=3)