What was the nickname of Karen Steele, born seconds after midnight on July 4, 1976?

Karen Steele was nicknamed the “Bicentennial Baby” after being born seconds after midnight on July 4, 1976.

Steele was born in New Jersey 12 seconds after the start of July 4, the date marking the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. News organizations and public officials quickly treated her birth as a symbolic beginning to the Bicentennial’s central day.

She appeared on television programs including The Today Show and Good Morning America. President Gerald Ford, New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne, and other public figures sent congratulations or commemorative messages. Her story became one of the more personal and unusual episodes associated with the anniversary.

The nickname did not mean that she was the first person born anywhere in the United States on July 4. It was a media label tied to her exact timing, location, and the national significance of that day. The episode illustrates how the Bicentennial mixed official ceremonies with memorable local stories.