Every year on July 4, IMDb sees a huge surge of interest in Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi classic, ‘Independence Day,’ as indicated by page views. The film became the biggest box office hit of 1996, raking in $306 million domestically on a budget of $75 million. The competition wasn’t soft, either. Blockbusters like ‘Twister,’ ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ‘The Rock,’ and ‘The Nutty Professor’ were released the same year. In celebration of the film’s enduring popularity, IMDb has pulled together some of its favorite trivia to bring another layer of entertainment while watching (or rewatching) ‘Independence Day’ this year.

Here are some noteworthy fun facts, submitted by IMDb users:

‘Independence Day’ Holds the Record for Most Miniatures and Models in a Film

“Holds the record for most miniature model work to appear in one film. Model shop supervisor Michael Joyce estimated that more miniatures were used for this film than in any other two films combined. Due to the advances in digital technology since this film's release, most experts believe this record may stand forever.”

“The production's model-making department built more than twice as many miniatures for the production than had ever been built for any film before, by creating miniatures for buildings, city streets, aircraft, landmarks, and monuments. The crew also built miniatures for several of the spaceships featured in the film, including a thirty foot destroyer model, and a version of the mother ship spanning twelve feet.”

The Title ‘ID4’ Was Created to Avoid Legal Trouble

“The abbreviation "ID4" was invented due to legal problems with the title "Independence Day". Before 20th Century Fox reached a deal with Warner Bros. for the rights to the title, they suggested the film be called "Invasion", "Sky on Fire", "Doomsday", and "The End of The World", among others."

Area 51 Was a Touchy Subject with the U.S. Military

“According to producer/co-writer Dean Devlin, the U.S. military had agreed to support the film by allowing the crew to film at military bases, consulting the actors who have military roles, etc. However, after learning of the Area 51 references in the script, they withdrew their support.

Only One Real Airplane Was Flown on Screen

Except for the bi-plane during the crop-dusting scene, any airplane seen in the air in this film is either a model or computer-generated effect.

The Script Was Written in Four Weeks

Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich penned the script in four weeks. It was sent out on a Thursday, and they started fielding offers the next day. By Monday, they were in pre-production.

Explore more trivia from 'Independence Day' and the 2016 sequel 'Independence Day: Resurgence' on IMDb. Happy Fourth!...