Getty Images/Stephanie Keith
- Americans celebrated the Fourth of July on Thursday with fireworks, parades, and more.
- Much of the attention went to President Donald Trump’s elaborate “Salute to America” event in Washington, DC, but Americans across the country held their own dazzling events.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
Americans celebrated Independence Day on Thursday, ringing in the country’s 243rd birthday.
President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” event in Washington, DC, took up much of the attention, but the entire country marked the holiday with traditions like barbecues, hot dog eating contests, and parties.
Fireworks displays and Independence Day parades across the country dazzled Americans — from New York City and Baltimore, Maryland, to Anchorage, Alaska, and Santa Monica, California.
Here’s how America celebrated its birthday in 2019:
Stunning fireworks lit up the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
AFP/Brendan Smialowski via Getty Images
An elaborate series of military flyovers stunned crowds during President Donald Trump’s speech.
Getty Images/Stephanie Keith
The reflecting pool on the National Mall was lit up with hundreds of mobile phones.
AFP/Brendan Smialowski via Getty Images
A pair of Uncle Sams greeted one another at a Fourth of July parade in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The Berkshire Eagle/Ben Garver via Associated Press
Alaskans in Anchorage celebrated amid a record-breaking heatwave.
Getty Images/Lance King
Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke walked in the parade in Independence, Iowa
Getty Images/Joshua Lott
A dazzling fireworks display erupted over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Associated Press/Julio Cortez
Things went badly wrong in Fort Mill, South Carolina, when a fire destroyed two containers full of fireworks.
WCNC via Associated Press
Demonstrators in Philadelphia protested against the treatment of asylum-seeking families at the US-Mexico border.
Associated Press/Jacqueline Larma
Some very good dogs and their humans rode in the back of a pickup truck in Santa Monica, California.
Associated Press/Richard Vogel
Spectators in New York had gathered en masse near New York City’s East River ahead of the annual fireworks.
Associated Press/Jeenah Moon
An array of fireworks shot over New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge.
Associated Press/Frank Franklin II
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Fourth of July
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