I know this date is very important to you. Your independence day. As most of you will know, I'm Dutch and at the time I write this message, I just woke up and it's 6 AM over here in the Netherlands. Which means it's midnight on the east coast of the US of A.

Let me be the first to wish you a great day today. The Dutch were the first anyway in history to recognize the United States by giving a salute to an American war ship in the Dutch Antilles. The Hague was the seat of the very fist ever ambassy. Sadly the building where that ambassy was seated is no longer there. It was demolished somewhere inthe 1850's.

More information on those events.

The spot where the ambassy once stood.

Founding father John Adams, and not Quincy [[are you listening Michelle?), was the first ambassador.