Far more than an excuse for a barbecue, the Fourth of July is a celebration full of history and pride for the United States.

The national holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, birthing a new nation.

With the colours of red, white and blue set to stream the USA this week, here's a handful of recent Guinness World Records titles that provide another reason to celebrate Independence Day.

Largest hot dog cart

Marcus Daily from Washington, Missouri created the largest hot dog cart ever – measuring a colossal 3.72 m (12 ft 2.75 in) in height, 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in) in width, and 7.06 m (23 ft 2 in) in length. The cart incorporates a kitchen where the food is prepared.

The oversized cart is not just a record-breaking invention for Marcus but is a full-time family-run business and he claims that his hot dogs are the “world’s best”. The colossal cart is also movable, based on a scaled-up stainless steel K-D Machine & Tool Model 300.

Longest chain of fireworks

We may have China to thank for the explosive invention of fireworks, but few countries create as big a bang as the U.S., thanks to the amount of pyrotechnics used during Independence Day celebrations.

The longest chain of fireworks consists of 10,005 fireworks and was achieved by Viejas Casino & Resort (USA) in Alpine, California, USA, on 12 September 2014.

Largest horn spread on a steer (living)

Lazy J’s Bluegrass (USA) is a Texas Longhorn which has the largest horn spread - measuring an intimidating 297.8 cm (117.25 inches). The stunning steer featured in the Guinness World Records 2016 book.

Bluegrass was measured at a competition held by Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America in Greenleaf, Kansas, USA.

Largest banner flown by a vehicle

Ford Motor Company achieved this patriotic display in 2016, breaking the previous record set by Chevrolet just two months previously.

The largest banner flown by a vehicle measured 383.18 sq meters (4,123.55 sq ft) at NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend in Homestead, Florida (USA), carrying the iconic stars and stripes flag as the banner.

Using the 2017 Ford F-450 Super Duty, the truck towed flag four laps around the Homestead-Miami Speedway’s 1.5 mile track, with a team of 20 managing the flag to ensure it never touched the ground.

Longest usable golf club

Fore! The endlessly popular record for the longest usable golf club has become a battle between two rivals on either side of the U.S.

Since our team filmed with current record holder Michael Furrh from Texas, multiple record-breaker Ashrita Furman stepped up to the tee and broke the record. 

Back in April last year, Ashrita (pictured below) demonstrated his 7.65 m (25.09 feet) golf club in Jamaica, New York. The head of the golf club was taken from a Callaway Big Bertha ERC II driver and the shaft was made from a combination of graphite and carbon fibre tubing.

Longest 'usable' golf club

Michael Furrh told Guinness World Records: "You'll just have to stay tuned and find out what's up my sleeve for next year." And indeed, he was as good as his word, reclaiming the title with an 8.56 m (28 ft 1 in) long golf club in September 2016.