Veterans of the War of 1812 march down L.A.’s Main Street in an 1873 Fourth of July Parade. (From the USC Libraries’ California Historical Society Collection)

Community leaders hoist the Philippine flag at L.A. City Hall on this day in 1958.

For several years, the Philippines also celebrated Independence Day on Fourth of July. The holiday marked the July 4, 1946 signing of the Treaty of Manila, in which the United States recognized the independence of its former colony. The holiday has since been moved to June 12 to commemorate the 1898 Philippine declaration of independence from Spain.

Fireworks light the night sky over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. (From the USC Libraries’ “Dick” Whittington Photography Collection)

Carolyn Castoe prepares to blast off before the Rose Bowl’s 1958 circus and fireworks show. (From the USC Libraries’ Los Angeles Examiner Collection)

Downtown Anaheim decorated for the Fourth of July, 1925. (From the USC Digital Library’s TICOR/Pierce Collection)