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Meet WNY's most patriotic man:

Kevin O'Neill introduces us to WNY's most patriotic man.

Ed Krier is perhaps WNY's most patriotic man.

In his 80s, Ed still decorated his house like no other for Independence Day. Some people love Christmas, some people love Halloween. Well Ed LOVES Independence Day.

Across the country, Americans will don red, white and blue on July 4 to celebrate the nation's independence with barbecues, parades and fireworks.

The holiday commemorates the Founding Fathers' declaration of independence in 1776. The day has had a fascinating history ever since, rife with quirky coincidences and inventive celebrations.

In 1776, John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, that American independence should be celebrated with “pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

Though early celebrations began the following year, the Fourth of July wasn't designated a federal holiday until 1870. In 1941, it became a paid holiday for federal employees.

At the first Fourth of July celebrations— which took place in Philadelphia in 1777— revelers fired a cannon 13 times, once for each colony. That night, 13 fireworks were fired off from the city's commons.

The tradition has only blossomed since then. In 1934, an explorer in Antarctica set off fireworks to celebrate the holiday in relatively warm weather for the continent: 33 degrees below zero.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spent over $1 billion on fireworks in 2017. That number has roughly tripled over the last 20 years.

Americans consume roughly 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July — enough to stretch from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles five times.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is over a century old, takes place July 4 every year. The record, currently held by Joey Chestnut, is 72 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

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