What’s a Semiquincentennial? You Have 2 Years to Find Out.

Good morning. It’s Wednesday. We’ll get a look at what’s being planned for July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the 13 colonies declaring their independence from Britain. We’ll also get details on why the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein could face new sex crimes charges in Manhattan.

Credit…Ray Stubblebine/Associated Press Images

While you were watching fireworks last week, Christopher O’Brien was practicing saying “semiquincentennial.”

It’s the term for a 250th anniversary. O’Brien is the president of Sail4th250, a nonprofit that is focused on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Continental Congress’s approval of the Declaration of Independence.

Sail4th250’s plans for a “once-in-a-generation celebration” include a parade of tall ships in New York Harbor with vessels from more than 30 nations.

That brings to mind the Bicentennial, in 1976, when the city was mesmerized by a flotilla that was watched by millions from the streets of Lower Manhattan and pleasure boaters on 10,000 small craft. There were so many that the Coast Guard dispatched cutters to clear the way for the schooners and square-riggers.