My Bicentennial Memories
I’m not sure I believe in fate, but there must be a reason why I could never bring myself to throw out my Ross Bicentennial bicycle. My parents, despite complaining about its prolonged residence in the cellar of 1710 78th street, could never bring themselves to roll the bike out with Tuesday trash (something they had no issue doing with all my other toys and preciouses). Maybe I or they knew the Bicentennial would be something I’d one day revisit. Or maybe we all knew, as long as the bike remained, so would those wonderful hazy summer day memories of years past.
Keep checking back — as we countdown to the release of Brooklyn ’76, I’ll be adding some wonderful star-spangled, red, white, and blue blasts from the past.
First Bicentennial Minute - July 4, 1974
Fifty years ago, the first Bicentennial Minute aired on CBS. Initially 732 one-minute messages were planned to run nightly finishing on the Bicentennial; however, 912 were produced in total with the final airing on the evening of December 31, 1976. While Charlton Heston’s actual Bicentennial Minute has been lost to time, please click on the article to view what his message to the nation might be if filmed today.
Bicentennial Bell Ringing
Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library: President Ford initiates the ringing of Bicentennial bells across the nation while on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal with Bicentennial Administration head John Warner in observance of Operation Sail activities. A similar celebration is planned for the nation’s 250th birthday in two years.
Bicentennial Buttons 2
Six different Bicentennial buttons designed and sent by two art teachers to President Gerald R. Ford. Each button contains an individual design in red, white, and blue featuring various patriotic images and slogans. While not for sale to the general public, readers may recognize a few from Brooklyn ‘76.
Credit: fordlibrarymuseum.gov