What Happened on July 4?

It is America's birthday! Learn how the Declaration of Independence was adopted, why we watch fireworks, and meet famous people born on the Fourth of July.

• 1776 — Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence

  Delegates in Philadelphia approved the Declaration, announcing that thirteen colonies considered themselves free and independent states. Read the full story →

• 1803 — Louisiana Purchase announced to the American public

  Americans learned on Independence Day 1803 that the United States had bought the Louisiana Territory from France, more than doubling the nation's size. Read the full story →

• 1826 — John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die fifty years after the Declaration

  On exactly the fiftieth anniversary of independence, former presidents Adams and Jefferson both died within hours of each other. Read the full story →

• 1862 — Lewis Carroll tells Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for the first time

  On a boating trip up the Thames, Oxford mathematician Charles Dodgson entertained ten-year-old Alice Liddell with a tale that grew into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Read the full story →

• 1997 — Mars Pathfinder lands with NASA's first rover, Sojourner

  NASA's Pathfinder bounced onto Mars inside giant airbags on July 4, 1997, then released Sojourner, the first rover to drive on another planet. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) · Stephen Foster (1826–1864) · Rube Goldberg (1883–1970) · Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)

Days & observances

Independence Day (United States) · National Barbecue Day · National Caesar Salad Day · National Country Music Day