Fireworks From Below, Earth From Above Frame Fourth

Besides the traditional parades, fireworks and other celebrations in towns large and small, Americans took note of Independence Day in special ways.

The day was marked by Americans outside the United States too, even by some outside the atmosphere.

From 170 miles above Earth, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia beamed down white-and-blue scenes of the United States as a recording of “America the Beautiful” played.

“Happy Independence Day, America,” said Air Force Col. Terence “Tom” Henricks, the shuttle commander. “. . . We’re all proud to be Americans, especially today.”

In Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, U.S. troops at the King Abdul-Aziz Air Base and the nearby Al-Khorbar housing complex celebrated with cookouts, water polo and a tug of war, trying to “return to normal” after a June 25 terrorist bombing killed 19 colleagues, the base press officer said.

In Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed 220 years ago, two young descendants of the signers lightly tapped the Liberty Bell 13 times, giving the signal for thousands of bells in churches, schools and government buildings across the country to start pealing.

The city also honored former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Jordan’s King Hussein with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal for their efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

“Preventing hatred of your fellow man and extending love to him are the two sides of true liberty,” Peres said as he accepted the medal in a ceremony outside historic Independence Hall.

Peres also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was killed Nov. 4 at a peace rally in Tel Aviv.

Hussein, who did not attend, sent his regrets in a message read by Jordanian Ambassador Fayez Tarawneh.

In naturalization ceremonies Thursday, 713 immigrants in Detroit and more than 60 in Lincoln, Neb., were welcomed as citizens.

At the home of Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Va., exactly 170 years after his death, 75 new Americans took the oath of citizenship.

“Before today, you had homes in 34 countries all over the world,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “After today, you all have the same home: America.”

In events elsewhere:

* In Rhode Island, the 211th Bristol Independence Day Parade, the oldest continuous one in the country, attracted nearly 250,000 onlookers. It began in 1785 as a prayerful walk to celebrate independence from the rule of King George III of Britain.

* In Irondequoit, N.Y., couples rose from their chairs, children waved little flags and cheers rang out loudly for the Vietnam War veterans at the town’s parade.

“I think they’ve been slighted so long that people feel a special attachment to them,” said Ross Willink, 70.

* In Luckenbach, Texas, singer Willie Nelson had his Fourth of July picnic for about 10,000 fans, this year benefiting drought-stricken farmers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

* First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton celebrated Independence Day in the former Soviet bloc. In Prague, Czech Republic, she said that “democracy is a messy business” and warned that indifference or intolerance can poison the wells of freedom.

The holiday also brought a reminder that fireworks must be handled with care.

In Rochester, Ind., three young men were badly burned when boxes of fireworks ignited in their car. The force of the explosion bent the doors, blew out the windshields, buckled the roof and cracked the dashboard, one of the men said.

He said the trio was riding on a county road with Roman candles lighted and tied to the antenna when the car appeared to blow up.