This Day in History

1776: The Continental Congress adopts and signs the Declaration of Independence.
1826: Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die.
1831: James Monroe dies.
1848: Construction of the Washington National Monument begins in Washington, D.C.
1863: During the Civil War, Vicksburg, MS, is captured by Union troops after a long seige.
1894: The Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed when President Grover Cleveland 's administration rejects the provisional government's proposal of annexation by the U.S.
1939: Baseball player Lou Gehrig, dying from the disease that will bear his name, is honored at Yankee Stadium and tells the crowd of more than 61,000, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
1946: The United States gives the Philippines its independence.
1963: The highest civilian award in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is established to recognize significant contribution to the national interest or world peace.
1967: The Freedom of Information Act, providing public access to U.S. government files, goes into effect.
1976: The United States celebrates its the bicentennial with festivals, parades, fireworks, and Operation Sail in New York City.
1997: NASA 's Pathfinder spacecraft lands on Mars after a 7-month flight.
2002: A gunman is killed by an El Al guard after killing two people at the Israeli airline's ticket counter at Los Angeles's international airport.