Though no Independence Day celebration will ever compare to the rager the founding fathers (probably) threw on July 4, 1776, there is a clear runner-up: The American Bicentennial. 

In July 1976, Americans celebrated our nation's 200th birthday in style, donning stars, stripes, and even colonial bonnets to commemorate the fact that we managed to go two hundred years without imploding.

But while we wait with bated breath to see whether we'll make it to our tricentennial in 2076 (Press X to Doubt), here are 37 photos of our nation's spectacularly '70s bicentennial celebrations.