My Bicentennial Memories
I’m not sure I believe in fate, but there must be a reason why I could never bring myself to throw out my Ross Bicentennial bicycle. My parents, despite complaining about its prolonged residence in the cellar of 1710 78th street, could never bring themselves to roll the bike out with Tuesday trash (something they had no issue doing with all my other toys and preciouses). Maybe I or they knew the Bicentennial would be something I’d one day revisit. Or maybe we all knew, as long as the bike remained, so would those wonderful hazy summer day memories of years past.
Keep checking back, I’ll be adding some wonderful star-spangled, red, white, and blue blasts from the past as we countdown to America 250.
Bicentennial Hydrants
During 1976, many towns and cities encouraged their residents to paint fire hydrants in a Bicentennial motif. Who let in the Red coat?
Bicentennial Mascot
Arba the eagle, made by Patchwork Puppet Productions, was commissioned to be the official Bicentennial mascot and perform public service announcements.
Bicentennial Calendar
The official national calendar of Bicentennial events for September 1974, courtesy of the Bicentennial Times.
Bicentennial Helmet
The Dallas Cowboys added a red stripe to their helmets for the entire 1976 season to honor the nation’s Bicentennial. The helmet would not be worn again for 45 years, but has recently been worn in games to honor servicemen.
Bicentennial Bell
The Bicentennial Bell was gifted by the United Kingdom to the U.S. and presented by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip on July 6, 1976. The bell was cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in London, the same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell. After sitting in storage for over a decade, the Bicentennial Bell found a new home this past summer in Benjamin Rush Garden in Philadelphia.
Bicentennial Muppets
The Muppet Show premiered in the U.S. on September 20th, 1976. The show had premiered two weeks earlier in the U.K. where the Joel Grey hosted episode was shown first. In it, Grey gives perhaps his best performance of "Willkommen."
Bicentennial Television
Whether it was prime time or Saturday morning, September 1976 featured the premiere of some classic television shows. Nothing like a double-dip of the legendary Fred Grandy!
Bicentennial Cinema
Brooklyn dominated September 1976 at the Box Office. The highest grossing movie for the month - Bugsy Malone, starring Brooklyn’s own Scott Baio and John Cassisi; Also starring some girl named Jodie Foster.
Bicentennial NFL
In 1976 the NFL expanded to 28 teams, adding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks. For their inaugural season, the Seahawks played in the NFC West while the Buccaneers played in the AFC West.
Bicentennial Barbie
Critical outcry over the glaring omission of Bicentennial Barbie from the 2023 film is still strong and well-deserved.
Bicentennial Reunion
"I have a friend who loves what you do every year."
Labor Day 1976 - if you're too young to remember, you missed out!
Bicentennial TV Guide 2
Back when the TV Guide was the weekly periodical of choice for the most learned and discriminating of readers.
Bicentennial Centennial
There was more than one special birthday worth celebrating in 1976!
Bicentennial Action Figures
Just to add the the awesomeness of 1976, the Fantastic Four, Thor, and Conan were added to the Mego line of action figures. See them all in action here.
Bicentennial Smokes
This Bicentennial advertisement served as a stark reminder that the long-lasting, full-flavored taste of Saratoga 120’s almost cost us the Revolution.
Bicentennial Concerts
In addition to the parades and fireworks displays across the U.S., there were some amazing rock concerts to see on the Bicentennial.
Which one do you wish you could have attended? Or were you there?
Bicentennial Transit
On July 4, 1976, the New York City Transit Exhibit was opened in a decommissioned underground Brooklyn subway station as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration, charging a fee of one subway token for admittance. Old subway cars which had been preserved, as well as models and other exhibits were displayed. Originally the exhibit was to remain open only through the summer, however it proved to be so popular that it remained open and eventually became a permanent museum. In a lesser known fact, the New York Transit Museum was my absolute favorite elementary school field trip, narrowly edging out both the Circle Line and the Bronx Zoo.