Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has been held on July 4 since the 1970s.
Vintage photos of July 4 on Coney Island show crowded beaches and the annual hot-dog contest.
Coney Island has been a destination for Fourth of July celebrations for over a century.
From fireworks displays, parades, and live performances to the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Coney Island has been hosting Independence Day celebrations since the early 20th century.
Coney Island is still popular for New Yorkers who want to escape the city for the day, walk along the boardwalk, enjoy some rides, and eat a hot dog or two — or many more.
Here are vintage photos that show what Coney Island Fourth of July celebrations have looked like through the years.
Fourth of July marks one of the busiest days of the year in Coney Island.An aerial view of the crowds on Coney Island Beach during the Fourth of July.
George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty Images
In a black-and-white aerial photo from 1920, you can see thousands of people gathered on the boardwalk and Coney Island Beach during the Fourth of July.
In the 1930s, Coney Island exploded as a popular destination for beachgoers and families on the Fourth of July.People crowding the beach at Coney Island on July 4, 1938.
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This photo, taken on July 4, 1938, shows crowds of people gathered on the beach. There are so many people that you can hardly see the sand.
Thirty years later, revelers still visited Coney Island Beach to celebrate Independence Day.A pair of unidentified men in shorts pose for the camera on the crowded Coney Island Beach on July 4, 1968.
Bev Grant/Getty Images
In this photo, a pair of unidentified men in shorts pose for the camera.
The beaches were also popular in the mid-'90s.Fourth of July crowd at Coney Island in 1995.
Susan Watts/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
In a 1995 photo, children can be seen running and playing in the water while their parents look on.
People also came to Coney Island to shop on the boardwalk.People shop inside a store in Coney Island on July 4, 1968.
Bev Grant/Getty Images
In this photo from July 4, 1968, customers shop inside a Coney Island store that sells tobacco-related products, candy, and portable radios.
The first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was held in the 1970s.Contestants eat hot dogs during the 1987 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
Walter Leporati/Getty Images
The first official contest was held in 1972, CNN reported.
Nathan's had at one time claimed the tradition started in 1916, but PR professionals Max Rosey and Mortimer Matz, hired by Nathan's, later told The New York Times they had fabricated the legend about it starting that year.
The first official winner of the contest was a woman named Melody Andorfer.A man eats hotdogs at Nathan's Famous in Coney Island on July 4, 1961.
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
According to the Coney Island History Project, she ate 12 hot dogs in five minutes and won a paper crown as her prize.
In this photo from 1961, an unidentified man eats a Nathan's Famous hot dog outside the iconic restaurant.
Edward Krachie was the 1995 champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.American competitive eater Edward Krachie holds a trophy in his hands as he celebrates his victory in the 1995 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
Walter Leporati/Getty Images
He's pictured holding up his trophy after winning the 1995 annual contest.
According to The New York Times, he won after eating 19 and a half hot dogs and beating the defending champion by just half a dog.
The contest has been successful ever since and draws thousands of in-person attendees and even more online viewers each year.Portrait of three, unidentified contestants as they pose with plates of hot dogs prior to the 1987 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.
Walter Leporati/Getty Images
Here, three unidentified contestants pose with plates of hot dogs prior to the 1987 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Nathan's was and still is a popular establishment in Coney Island to grab a cheap dog — on the Fourth of July or any other summer day.A couple eats hot dogs in front of Nathan's Famous fast-food restaurant at Coney Island on July 4, 1968.
Bev Grant/Getty Images
In this circa 1968 photograph, a couple eats hot dogs in front of Nathan's Famous fast-food restaurant in Coney Island.
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