Aside from more traffic and a vastly different fashion sense, Fourth of July today isn't too different from our first celebration almost 300 years ago. 

The first Independence Day was held in 1777, a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Right from the get-go, we celebrated our freedom in a big way. 

In Philadelphia that year, Congress organized a massive celebration with fireworks, sparklers, parades and a thirteen cannon salute for the thirteen states, according to The Smithsonian. Another fireworks display also took place the same day in Boston.

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Americans have celebrated the holiday ever since, though it was not declared a federal holiday until 1941. To give some perspective, according to the U.S. Census just an estimated 2.5 million people lived in the United States in 1776. The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth is 323 million.

In 1816, the American public was allowed to purchase fireworks for themselves, and the pyrotechnics we associate with the holiday became a tradition, Live Science reports.

And just how popular is the holiday? AAA Travel projects that this year 49 million Americans will travel this holiday weekend. This would mean the highest Fourth of July travel volume on record. It doesn't hurt that drivers will pay the lowest Independence Day gas prices in over a decade. 

Click through to see how people celebrated Uncle Sam's favorite day of the year, every year.