Declaration of Independence adopted by Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence committee, depicted in a 19th-century steel engraving. The members …
1776: Adopted this day by the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence called for the separation of 13 North American colonies from Great Britain, proclaiming “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.” A committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston had been chosen on June 11 to prepare a statement justifying the decision to assert independence. The anniversary of the adoption is now celebrated as Independence Day, a U.S. national holiday.
1946: The Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed an independent country with Manuel Roxas as its first president.
1845: Essayist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau moved to his retreat at Walden Pond, where he eventually wrote a series of reflective essays entitled Walden; or, Life in the Woods.
1054: The Crab Nebula, the brightest known remnant of a supernova, was first noticed by Chinese astronomers. |
