Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to line the banks of Boston's Charles River to watch the fireworks there, with millions more across the country watching live on CBS.
The celebration featured pop stars Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, country group Little Big Town and, as always, the Boston Pops Orchestra, which drives home the climactic fireworks finale to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."
STATE HOUSE — It sits tucked away in a restricted area closed to visitors, snugged close against the original Bulfinch portion of the State House at the top of the front steps.
The full-size bronze replica of the Liberty Bell — one of 53 bells distributed to states and territories as part of a national savings bond campaign, according to Massachusetts Art Commission curator Susan Greendyke Lachevre — has been a fixture at the State House since this date in 1950, though its presence is little known.
