The National Mall hosts one of the country's largest July Fourth fireworks shows

There are over 20,000 trees on the National Mall

Nearly 4,000 of the Mall's trees are cherry trees, all maintained by a small National Park Service arborist team that provides year-round, science-based care to address soil compaction, root damage, and heavy visitor traffic.

See Pierre L'Enfant's original plan and vision for DC and the National Mall

The 2017 Women's March was one of the largest protests in the Mall's history

Held the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, the 2017 Women's March drew an estimated 470,000 to 500,000 people to Washington, DC, and 3 million to 5 million nationwide. It is widely regarded as the largest single-day protest in US history.

The National Mall once had canals and rail lines

In the 1800s, the National Mall looked nothing like it does today. Canals, rail lines, markets, and industrial uses crisscrossed the Mall before later redesigns cleared it into a unified civic landscape.

Take an architectural walking tour of the National Mall.

Celebrations for America's 150th birthday in 1926 were a poorly organized mess that nearly bankrupted the host city of Philadelphia.

The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex

With 21 museums and the National Zoo, the Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex. Eleven of those museums sit directly on the National Mall, and all offer free admission to the public.

Americans spent an estimated $14.8B for the Fourth of July 2025.

The National Mall's oldest building is the Lockkeeper's House

Built in 1837, the Lockkeeper's House is the oldest structure on the National Mall. It once served the lockkeeper of the Washington City Canal and of an extension of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, part of early plans to bring commercial waterways into the capital.

Congress actually voted to approve independence on July 2, 1776, leading many Founders to believe that would be the date Americans would one day celebrate.

This video highlights lesser-known facts about the Declaration of Independence, including that Congress approved independence on July 2—leading many Founders to believe that would be the day Americans would celebrate their independence.

Fireworks usage on Independence Day comes from their celebratory use in ancient China

Burning bamboo stalks produces a small explosion that was believed to ward off evil spirits. As knowledge of fireworks, which initially used these stalks, carried over into other cultures, so did their use to promote good luck and celebration.

Take a tour of the Museum of Natural History

Opened in 1910 on the Mall, the National Museum of Natural History is among the Smithsonian's oldest museums. Its scientists steward more than 148 million objects and specimens—making it the largest natural history collection on Earth.

People spent more than a billion hours visiting National Park System sites in 2025, which include national parks, monuments, seashores, and more.

According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans were expected to spend over $9B on food for Independence Day in 2026.

The 1902 McMillan Plan reimagined the National Mall as a formal, open civic space

Drafted by the Senate Park Commission, the McMillan Plan called for the removal of railroads, markets, and industrial uses from the Mall; revived key elements of Pierre L'Enfant's original layout; and established the framework for the Mall's long lawns, museum placement, and monumental core.

July Fourth wasn't always a holiday, and its meaning has changed over time.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt turned the National Mall into a public memorial in 1987

First displayed on the National Mall, the AIDS Memorial Quilt comprised thousands of handmade panels honoring individuals who had died of AIDS. Its placement on the Mall was intended to force public recognition of the human cost of AIDS amid widespread government inaction.

The National Parks System is a popular attraction in the US

More than 16 billion people have visited the US National Park System since 1904. Curious about how something like World War II affected park visitation? This table of annual recreational visits spans the early 20th century through 2023, demonstrating the slow-but-steady rise in visitors over the decades.

The unbuilt monuments of Washington, DC

The capital city of the United States famously was built in a swampy area, with dozens of memorials, monuments, and more spanning its vast and complex design. This video explores five monuments that were either built or were rejected as alternatives in the sprawling District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River.

The National Archives protects billions of historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

This "60 Minutes" segment takes viewers behind the scenes at the National Archives, showcasing how experts use conservation science, security, and technology to preserve cornerstone records—such as the original Declaration of Independence—for future generations.

Go inside the Washington Monument

This video tour of the Washington Monument explores its interior, construction delays, political battles, memorial stones, earthquake damage, and later modernization—showing how symbolism, engineering, and 19th-century politics shaped the nation's tallest monument.

See 10 of the artifacts on display at the Smithsonian's America at 250 exhibition

From Thomas Jefferson's portable writing desk to a first-generation iPod, the National Museum of American History is showcasing 250 objects across all three floors to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

More than 5,000 marchers joined the 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade on the National Mall

On March 3, 1913—the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration—suffragists marched through Washington, DC. The parade drew large crowds, exposed violent opposition to women's suffrage, and helped galvanize support for the 19th Amendment.

DC has the highest share of low-income renters on housing assistance in the country

Seventy-two per every 1,000 residents in the nation's capital were low-income residents on housing assistance as of the year 2024.

Fireworks-related ER visits in 2024 increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

In the early 1900s, Fourth of July celebrations were so dangerous that a reform movement emerged to make them safer.

The entire National Park System is located on public lands, but not all public lands are national parks.

National parks, explained

Roughly 83 million acres of the United States are set aside as federal National Parks land, an area large as Germany. From the original Yellowstone Park to small monuments and memorials, learn the essentials on this portion of America dedicated to public enjoyment and recreation with our quick explainer video.

Fireworks contribute to air, water, and soil contamination and disrupt wildlife

Fireworks displays have far-reaching environmental consequences, including acid rain from displays during storms and microplastic pollution in water supplies. Wildlife has also been seen abandoning sites during fireworks and never returning.

Fun family fireworks turn ballistic

The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates that over 10,000 injuries result each year from fireworks, close to three-quarters of which occur around the Fourth of July. This video shows just one rather explosive miscue.

Watch a drone flight through a fireworks display

This video explores the history, construction, and preparation of modern fireworks displays, including creating gunpowder from scratch. Experimentation with fireworks underwater is also featured, but they require special materials to prevent water from infiltrating the fireworks shell.

Washington, DC, was designed by French-born architect Pierre L'Enfant

Pierre Charles L'Enfant was an engineer who fought in the American Revolution. George Washington chose him to design the capital for his military service, artistic training, and vision of a monumental national city.

George Washington was a fan of barbecue

The first US president celebrated laying the cornerstone of the US Capitol by hosting a barbecue, the centerpiece of which was a 500-pound ox. By the 19th century, barbecue was a standard component of public celebrations, including Independence Day and Memorial Day.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024, with most of those deaths involving misuse of the explosives and device malfunctions or misfires.

A New York fireworks ban necessitated a new way to ring in the New Year

In 1906, the city banned fireworks displays, forcing the Times Square celebration to find a new centerpiece. The Times commissioned Jacob Starr, a Ukrainian immigrant who worked for Strauss Signs, to develop an ornament. He returned with the now-iconic New Year’s ball.

The National Parks System includes 63 parks and 400 smaller preserved sites

Want to see how close you are to one of the major preserves or lesser-known historic sites? Explore this interactive map from the National Park Service to plan your next adventure to protected, historic land.

Congress meets and legislates in the US Capitol building

The United States Capitol reflects neoclassical ideals drawn from ancient Greece and Rome. First opened to Congress in 1800 and repeatedly expanded over time, it remains the symbolic and functional home of both The House and The Senate.

Fireworks' chemical composition and internal layout produce their unique displays

The burning of different metal compounds, facilitated by combining fuel with oxidizers, results in explosions of varying colors. The timing and pattern are engineered through the arrangement of pellets and fuses.

America’s largest Comic-Con by attendance takes place in New York City

New York Comic Con—held annually at New York City's Javits Center since 2006—draws around 200,000 attendees, features more than 570 panels and events, and hosts more than 1,250 exhibitors, making it North America’s biggest pop-culture convention by attendance.

Firework-related celebrations include an annual summer celebration in El Salvador, where residents throw kerosene-soaked balls to commemorate a 1658 volcanic eruption.

The National Park Service responded to the postwar influx of visitors with a massive project

America’s founding documents were once housed in other government buildings

Today, the Constitution and Declaration are displayed at the National Archives. Still, for more than a century, they were kept by other federal institutions—including the State Department and the Library of Congress—before gaining a permanent home in the 1930s.

Three of America's first five presidents—Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe—died on July 4.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year in the United States

In 2026, AAA estimated over 45 million Americans planned to travel over the long weekend, with approximately 87% of those trips made by car.

In 2024, 332 million visitors to America's national parks spent an estimated $29B in local surrounding economies.

Since 1776, the Declaration of Independence has served as a model for more than 100 nations and freedom organizations writing their own declarations.

The deadliest fireworks accident in history was Marie-Antoinette's wedding

In 1770, a fireworks display in Paris celebrating the marriage of Marie-Antoinette to the Dauphin, later known as Louis XVI, resulted in as many as 3,000 deaths. Most casualties were caused by trampling from a panicked crowd of thousands rushing away after some fireworks were blown into the spectators.

Hear firsthand accounts from the 1963 March on Washington

This video features stories from people who attended the 1963 March on Washington—the largest demonstration in US history at the time—capturing what it felt like to witness a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement as it unfolded.

The Washington Monument was completed in 1884 after nearly 40 years of delays and funding shortages

At the time of its completion, the Washington Monument stood as the tallest building in the world. Its construction stalled for decades due to political disagreements and the Civil War. The 555-foot obelisk cost nearly $1.2M to build (around $40M in today's dollars).

Fireworks make a loud booming sound after explosion due to air expanding faster than the speed of sound.