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As Americans heated up their grills or set out for the beach to celebrate July 4th, NewsBreak invited people from local communities across the country to mark America’s historic 250th birthday in a simple, personal way: with a wish. The results were surprising.
We invited people to light a virtual firework, and if they wanted, leave a wish behind — not for a prize or a chance at anything, but just because they wanted to say “happy birthday” to the country they love. In total, 39,723 people lit a firework on the app, and of those, 5,245 also stopped to write down what they were wishing for.
Reading through those wishes is a moving experience. There's no single American wish, and our responses showed as much variety as the people who call America home. An electric scooter. Safer schools. Success at work. A dog. But a few themes stood out.
Peace and happiness, close to home. "Peace" appeared in roughly 13% of written wishes, and "happy" in about 17%. That's not a majority, but it's a meaningful cluster of people hoping for harmony and kindness in daily life alongside peace across the world.
Faith and family, still central. References to God showed up in around 15% of wishes, and words like "safe" and "family" appeared in smaller but consistent numbers. For a meaningful slice of the people who wrote in, the wish for their country and the wish for their own household were one and the same.
A pull toward togetherness. Words like "together" and "unity" each appeared in a small but notable share of wishes — distinct enough, alongside recurring hopes for "prosperity" and "health," to show as a real thread.
Overall, what stood out to us was how many people, given an open text box and no prompt or incentive, reached for the same handful of ideas and values: peace, family, safety, and each other.
Ten wishes, in people's own words:
- “I wish for peace, prosperity, and unity”
- “For my family to be together again one day"
- “God bless this beautiful country”
- “To kiss my father again”
- “Happiness and wealth and wellness for my family"
- “I wish to be successful in my job and live comfortably”
- “I wish I had a firework that said I love you, mom”
- “I wish for world hunger gone”
- “I wish the homeless were not homeless”
- “Become the land where everyone is rich and happy”
Here’s what America said: Link
