no.stupid.answers

Happy Independence Day! Smell that? The United States is all a-barbecue today; how about infusing those steaks (and guests) with a few Fourth of July facts…

• Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he played his part in creating the Declaration of Independence (…and what have you done lately?).
• The Declaration of Independence was originally known as “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”
• The declaration has no official legal standing, but it is one of the main documents in the United States Code.
• Fifty-six men were signatories to the engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence that Congress ordered to be made on July 19, 1776.
• The first July 4 celebration to fall on a Sunday was in 1779. Like this year, the holiday was extended to be celebrated on Monday, July 5.
• Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.
• In 1791 the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
• Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826, fifty years after the Declaration of Independence was made. Adams’s last words: “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” Jefferson’s last words: “This is the Fourth?”
• John Adams made a fairly accurate prediction about future generations celebrating ‘the great anniversary Festival’ – “It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore,” – except that he assumed it would be celebrated on July 2nd, the date on which the resolution of independence was adopted.
• There is a new holiday in the United States known as Constitution Day, celebrated on September 17, since 2004.
• There are lots of other events, birthdays and historical moments recorded for July 4th – check out the full list.

Learn more about the United States’ Independence Day. Have a great holiday!

Think you have the academic know-how to answer 50 questions on Answers.com and win money for school next year?

Lately it seems the biggest question on Americans’ minds is: What should America do to reform its health care?

Since Barack Obama made it a key issue and the healthcare reform bill is being outlined, everyone’s been discussing it: pros, cons, how-to’s. Most people on either side of the healthcare reform argument do agree that something needs to be done to improve the current health care system in the United States. The main question seems to be: But what?

WikiAnswerers have also been asking questions and offering answers. Check out what’s being said in the following healthcare reform Q&A’s:

• Can you vote on the healthcare reform?
• Where can you find a copy of the healthcare reform bill?
• Who are the Democratic senators that are against Obama’s healthcare reform?
• What do you think about healthcare reform?

As it seems to be in Congress, there are also a lot of unanswered questions about health care reform. Care to take a stab?

• How will healthcare reform affect health management jobs?
• Why are Republicans against healthcare reform as outlined by Obama?
• What are the positive aspects of the healthcare reform plan that Obama is pushing?

May the best plan go forward… Here’s to a healthy decision!

It’s January 20th, which means there are plenty of questions (and answers) regarding the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. Luckily, WikiAnswers contributors have been speedily whipping up answers to some of the most popular questions:

• Where can you watch the 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama on the internet?
• What time is the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony of Barack Obama?
• What time is Obama’s inauguration speech?

…And even some history trivia for some inaugurations of the past:

• Why is Inauguration Day always on January 20?
• Which two presidents died within a year of their inauguration?
• What is the text of the oath of office of the President of the United States?

Check out more Inauguration Q&A.

This very busy week for the United States kicks off tomorrow with Martin Luther King Day. Have you read up on MLK, his dream and what is new in the civil rights world?

You can start here, and you can always contribute in your own way, by asking or answering on WikiAnswers.

• Where did Martin Luther King Jr give his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech?
• Who was a big influence for Martin Luther King Jr.?
• Who stabbed Martin Luther King Jr with a letter opener?
• How many grandchildren does Martin Luther King Jr. have?

You turn on the news, and you just can’t stop hearing all those names: Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden… They are everywhere, and the rumors are flying.

It could only mean one thing: It’s time to brush up on your presidential election knowledge before November rolls around.

Which is why WikiAnswers has a bunch of new categories that will serve as your official place to ask and answer questions concerning the U.S. presidential election in November: the candidates, the issues and more.

Here’s a quick ‘site map’ of all the elections and current issues categories available:

• 2008 Presidential Campaign
• Joe Biden
• John McCain
• Barack Obama
• Sarah Palin
• 2008 Democratic National Convention
• 2008 Republican National Convention
• Global Warming
• Iraq war
• Veterans’ Affairs & Issues
• Abortion & Teen pregnancy
• Economics
• International Relations

It’s summer, gas prices are up and you still want to take a trip. Fair enough. Today’s WikiAnswers Wednesday will address travel and the vehicles we do that in.

Or not. It’s Jim’s week, so who knows what we’ll find out.

How do you change the oil and filter on a 1982 Nighthawk750?

One thing I’ve noticed about WikiAnswers is the lack of really good info on cars and vehicles.

Last year I was driving cross state, from the western end of Delaware to the eastern end on what I call the cross-Delaware rally. For those of you who have been to Delaware, you know that this is not an easy undertaking. I recommend a JiffyLube and a 60,000 mile checkup, regardless of the actual mileage on the vehicle. Once your car is ready for the road it’s best to get a map of Delaware. Yes, I know that from the western end of Delaware you can see the ocean as well as the eastern side, but still, you shouldn’t take too few precautions. Think about the possible consequences of getting lost while doing the cross-Delaware rally.

Let’s say you get lost, and head northeast until before you know it you’re in New Jersey. Did you know that you’re now in the state with the most dense concentration of highways in the entire United States? This fact on its own is not of any particular significance until you realize that New Jersey also has more race horses than Kentucky!

With millions of horses, and nowhere for them to run in the wild since the wild has been replaced by highway systems, you have a recipe for disaster. The moment you get to New Jersey from Delaware you’ll be having to avoid hitting race horses left and right.

This issue is of particular importance because New Jersey also has the highest auto insurance rates in the United States. So, you get to New Jersey by accident, all of a sudden you’re having to dodge race horses and you drive into a Jack in the Box restaurant by accident. Nobody dies, but your car sure is a mess.

You’re in New Jersey, so all of a sudden your car insurance payments are driving you to bankruptcy. You don’t have a enough money even to get back to Delaware, so you have to get a job in the same town with that Jack in the Box. Well Jersey also has the highest cost of living in the US, so now even though you have a job you can’t afford to eat at the Jack in the Box that you ran into. Its still closed undergoing repairs from the accident, but if it was open, you couldn’t afford to eat there. One thing leads to another, and you’re on the streets and maybe in jail. Proper planning is essential!

While my answer to this question about the Nighthawk may appear to not fully answer the question – or answer it at all – I want to bring up the following point: This question has led to this answer, which with any luck, may show up on this amazing no.stupid.answers blog.

If it does, the amount of car repair and maintenance awareness that will be raised is immeasurable. In addition, so many people will understand the dangers of going to New Jersey without proper planning and realize that the cross-Delaware rally is not something to be taken lightly. The world is better because of your question. I congratulate you.

~ Jim