Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, marks the date in 1776 when the 13 original colonies of North America officially declared themselves to be free from the British Crown in an event that is considered to be America's birthday.
The date has been a public holiday since 1941, and this year the US will celebrate the day with patriotic events including spectacular fireworks displays, parades, picnics and barbeques on a scale not seen since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
What US events are planned for 4th July 2022?
In Washington, the Fourth of July parade is back for the first time since 2019, and the US capital's Mayor, Muriel Bowser, invited locals and visitors to join her on the walk along a flag-festooned National Mall.
Also in Washington this weekend is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which features stands and displays showing Emirati culture in the Living Landscape, Living Memory exhibition.
Public celebrations in Washington were all but cancelled in 2020 as the pandemic raged but returned on a small scale last year.
In New York, a hot-dog-eating contest sees contestants gulping down as many sausages and buns as they can in 10 minutes.
The defending champ and men's record holder is Joey Chestnut, who managed 76 hot dogs in 2020. The top woman is Michelle Lesco, who ate 30.75 hot dogs at last year's event.
Not happening in Washington in 2022: a repeat of the military parade that former president Donald Trump ordered for 2019, in which F-18s flew over DC and tanks thundered down its streets.
The cost of the extravaganza raised eyebrows in Washington and locals in the heavily Democrat city worried it was more like a “Make America Great Again” rally than a joyful celebration of the nation's founding.
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In this July 4, 1971 photo, President Richard Nixon signs the Constitution's newest amendment which guarantees 18-year-olds the right to vote in all elections. AP Photo -
In this July 4, 1981 photo, US President Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn Carter, right, and daughter Amy Carter, wave to the crowd along Peachtree Street as they lead a parade through the streets in Atlanta. AP Photo -
In this July 4, 1984, photo, President Ronald Reagan congratulates stock car driver Richard Petty, who won the Firecracker 400 race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File) -
In this July 4, 1996 photo, President Bill Clinton, right, watches a young American Bald Eagle named Freedom being released into the wild. AP Photo -
In this July 4, 2001 photo, President George W Bush celebrates the Fourth of July holiday in Philadelphia and poses with that city's baseball mascot, the Philly Phanatic. AP Photo -
In this July 4, 2009 photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with members of the United States armed services and their guests while hosting a Fourth of July party on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. AP Photo
