NEW YORK – It’s no secret that July 4th is a special day for everyone living in the United States.
Whether you’re an immigrant who came searching for a better life, a visitor who fell in love and decided to stay, or an American born-and-raised here, Independence Day is a special occasion for all.
This year however, the annual holiday holds extra significance as America is celebrating its 250th birthday.
To mark the occasion, we decided to dive deep into past issues of the Ethnikos Kirikas newspaper and reflect on what was making headlines at different points throughout the nation’s history.
The 1976 July 4th Ethnikos Kirikas print edition front page (Photo: The National Herald archive)
Ethnikos Kirikas 50 Years ago
It’s Sunday, July 4, 1976. America has turned 200 years old, and the whole country is celebrating its independence.
For Greek-Americans, however, the day carried a second layer of significance.
Just two years prior, Greece had emerged from seven years of military dictatorship, the junta of 1967 to 1974, and reclaimed its own democracy under Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis.
When readers opened the July 4th edition of Ethnikos Kirikas 50 years ago, they saw Greeks celebrating America’s freedom while simultaneously fighting for their own.
The front page led with an official statement from Karamanlis himself, calling the Bicentennial a ”Celebration for All Free Humanity.”
Coming from a leader who had just returned Greece to democracy, the message carried more weight than a typical diplomatic comment. Karamanlis went on to thank the U.S. for standing by Greece “during the most fearsome threat” it had faced decades earlier, framing both nations’ histories as bound by the same pursuit of liberty.
Page 6 of the July 4th issue of Ethnikos Kirikas in 1976 (Photo: The National Herald archive)
That same instinct appeared elsewhere in the July 4th edition. Dimitrios P. Mammas, a local Astoria community leader, published a declaration titled ‘July 4th Is the Radiant Beacon of Liberty for All Peoples’.
Mammas didn’t only remark on American history. He used the bicentennial to make a direct appeal on behalf of Cyprus, invaded by Turkey two years earlier, as well as Northern Epirus, home to thousands of ethnic Greeks living under Albania’s communist rule at the time.
For fellow Greek-Americans, America’s 200th birthday was more than a celebration. It was a moment for two countries that had both fought for democracy to honor their own founding promises.
Beyond the front page, the rest of the paper captured images of New York, the nation’s first capital, gearing up to celebrate. The city planned days of festivities: more than 50 tall ships from over thirty countries were set to sail past the Verrazzano Bridge, hosted by the aircraft carrier Forrestal, followed by fireworks over Central Park.
Closer to home, Astoria’s Greek-American orchestras led by Fotis Gonis, Louis Tsipas, and Bill Andreakos were also booked across the neighborhood that weekend.
The front page of the Ethnikos Kirikas print edition on July 4, 1996. (Photo: The National Herald archive)
Ethnikos Kirikas 30 Years ago
On Thursday, July 4, 1996, although the Ethnikos Kirikas didn’t explicitly feature July 4th on its front page, a lot of significant events and stories were brought to life in this issue.
Some of the key topics this issue covered included an article on how Crete was at risk of experiencing blackouts over the summer, one on the development and evolution of the Archdiocese of America, as well as a report on New York’s significant drop in crime, which occurred while former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was in office.
This era of the newspaper further included various articles and businesses advertising discounted travel to Greece, for the Greek-Americans longing to go back to their home country, as well as discounts for new appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, video televisions, stereo systems, and more thanks to holiday sales.
A store in Astoria named Greek Music and Video SuperStore was also advertising major 4th of July sales, with discounts from 20 to 80% off on stereo systems, videos, and compact discs (CDs) and cassettes.
Another standout article in this issue was a piece titled ‘New Yorkers have no idea what we celebrate on the 4th of July.’ It expressed how America’s most important historical event occurred on July 4, 1776, however most New Yorkers had no idea what happened that day and why we continue to commemorate that special day.
At the time, a survey conducted by the Daily News in Times Square found that only nine out of 40 people knew what happened there that day.
Although today we might associate the holiday with the Revolutionary war, or fireworks, the reality of the holiday was that it is America’s birthday.
The article noted how this date marked “the day the…[declaration] was signed that made the colonies independent from England.”
Today however, July 4th is a holiday recognized across the globe and is celebrated by Americans, Greek-Americans, and people who just love America and an excuse to party – while also reflecting on their ancestry and the country they were born and raised in.
The ‘New Yorkers have no idea what we celebrate on the 4th of July’ article in the July 4th issue in 1996 (Photo: The National Herald archive)
Ethnikos Kirikas in 2026
2026 officially marks 250 years of American liberty, which also coincides with the 205 years of Greek Independence, marking it as a special year for both Greeks and Greek-Americans.
To celebrate, various events have been held throughout the year by the Greek-American community, who continuously aim to highlight their valuable contributions to the civic, cultural, and public life of our nation.
Some of these noteworthy events included an exclusive reception at the Russian Tea Room where Chairman of the 2026 New York Greek Independence Day Parade, Lou Katsos, expressed what this year meant for Greeks and Americans alike.
“This year’s a special year – it’s the 205th anniversary of Hellenic Independence and the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence and we show how the countries are linked with each other,” Katsos said.
In Astoria, the Greek diaspora also commemorated the historical anniversaries with a Stathakion Cultural Center event combining historical analysis, narration, audiovisuals, and a separate exhibition titled ‘The Greek Revolution (1821-1829) through American Eyes’, which explored the ideological and political connections between the U.S. and Greece during the Greek War of Independence.
