The fourth of July is a holiday that, in modern times, brings about days spent on the beach soaking up the rays, afternoons filled with delicious food cooked on the grill, and night skies consumed with fireworks.

But what have people been doing on this national holiday since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776? Here’s a list of just a few notable occurrences that have happened on this holiday.

The first Independence Day (July 4, 1777) began many of the traditions that we commonly associate with the holiday. Thirteen guns were fired; ships were decorated with red, white and blue; music was played; and speeches were made.

In 1785, the town of Bristol, Rhode Island, began having their famed Independence Day celebration. They are noted as having the longest continuous celebratory tradition.

For Independence Day in 1800, the celebration in the Big Apple got kicked up a notch. This was the first year that ads for fireworks appeared in New York.

In 1808, residents of Richmond, Virginia decided this year that only spirits and liquors produced in the USA will be consumed on the Fourth of July.

On July 4, 1826, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died. These two men are the only two who signed the Declaration of Independence and went on to become President of the United States.

Students from Oberlin College celebrated July 4, 1837 by holding anti-slavery lectures and meetings.

On July 4, 1859, a convicted murderer publicly read the Declaration of Independence at a prison in Washington.

In 1881, citizens in Washington, D.C. were prohibited from setting off fireworks for Independence Day out of respect for the shooting of President Garfield.

On July 4, 1916, Coney Island, New York was home to the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. This contest was initiated as a way to declare who among four immigrants was the most patriotic.

On July 4, 1930, the sixty-foot-tall face of George Washington carved by Gutzon Borgium on Mount Rushmore was unveiled.

In 1959, NASCAR began the tradition of holding its Pepsi 400 race on July 4th or the Saturday of Independence Day weekend.

Independence Day 1976 brought about the highest quantity of American flags being flown over the US Capitol in one day. The total number of flags flown? 10,471.

Just last year, one thousand people from over seventy countries took their citizenship oath at Walt Disney World on Independence Day.

What will you do this year?

Katrina Robinson is a featured writer for Xomba.com. Read the rest of her work here .