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Looking back at the U.S.'s Bicentennial celebrations, 50 years ago

NPR | By Ayesha Rascoe

Published June 28, 2026 at 8:27 AM EDT

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, we review the nation's last big birthday celebration, 50 years ago: the Bicentennial.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Ayesha Rascoe

Ayesha Rascoe is a White House correspondent for NPR. She is currently covering her third presidential administration. Rascoe's White House coverage has included a number of high profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she's also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.

See stories by Ayesha Rascoe

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