Eugene Daniels"Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
OK, so Americans won't be fighting aliens this July Fourth weekend.
"We won't go quietly into the night ..."
Let it go, Bill!
But we will be buying fireworks, traveling and gorging ourselves.
The American Pyrotechnics Association, or APA, (yes, that's a thing) says Americans could buy up to $725 million in consumer fireworks — basically, backyard fireworks.
That's quite the jump from the $695 million spent around this time last year.
The APA says we've been snatching up more fireworks because many states have relaxed bans against them.
Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia allow the sale and use of some kind of backyard firework.
But remember to be safe, folks.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says, on average, 230 people go to the emergency room every day in the monthlong period around Independence Day. (Video via National Fire Protection Association)
As for travel, AAA estimates nearly 42 million people will hit the roads or take to the skies.
That's the most since 2007.
AAA says we can thank low gas prices for that, which gives Americans more money to spend.
Now to the refreshments.
According to the National Retail Federation, more than 156 million adults will be at a cookout or picnic this weekend.
And with the average amount spent on food this year at $71.23, we'll be shelling out more than $6.6 billion total to feed our faces.
That includes 700 million pounds of chicken,190 million pounds of beef and — whatever substance hot dogs are made of — we'll eat 150 million of them.
And what over-eating, explosive-igniting holiday is complete without alcohol?
Americans will wash all that food and fun down with $1 billion worth of beer.
This video includes images from Getty Images and music from Kevin MacLeod / CC BY 3.0.
