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The United States had far more than 250 candles to blow out on its birthday.
For the semiquincentennial celebration on the National Mall alone, President Donald Trump promised a world-record fireworks display, and his Freedom 250 organization said its Fourth of July event would include the launch of 850,000 fireworks shells.
Dangerous heat led officials in some Maryland and Virginia communities to cancel parades and other daytime events, but others continued as scheduled.
And severe thunderstorms moving in later in the day, threatened to upstage the manmade fireworks on the National Mall and around the region. But the show marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence went on, for the most part.
Here are some images from the night.
