The "When In The Course Of Human Events ….." Story

It was an ordinary day.  No, wait a minute, it isn't ordinary since my daughter, Brynn, was born on this day.  Can still remember the red, white and blue checked pants I wore to the hospital that day.  Got more comments on them than I did about my beautiful new daughter.

My daughter even had her photo on the front page of the Lancaster, PA newspaper the morning when she turned 4 on the 4th.  Big cake with four candles on it was right in front of her.  Did help that I knew the photographer for the newspaper really well.  But, today for most of you in the United States, is the celebration of our independence from our motherland.  Many believe that this was the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed, but in fact independence was declared July 2, 1776 and it was on July 4th that Congress approved the final text of the Declaration.  It really wasn't signed until August 2, 1776.  Hey, I can see a few more holidays here that can be celebrated and big sales advertised in the newspaper for these new holidays.  You do realize that Thomas Jefferson wrote the document, but other members of the Declaration committee and the Continental Congress made 86 changes to his original draft.  Probably didn't recognize the document when he got it back from being edited.  I have found a few neat facts about our Declaration of Independence that I thought I would share with everyone today.  Could be that you already know most of these facts, but I might have just found one or two that may be new to you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

1. The copy of the Declaration of Independence that is housed at the National Archives is not the draft that was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  It is actually a copy that someone made after the text was approved.  It is said that Timothy Matlack, an assistant to the Secretary of Congress, made the document.  This is the copy that was signed on August 2, 1776.
2. No one who signed the Declaration of Independence was born in the United States of America, since the United States didn't exist until after the Declaration was signed!  All but eight of the signers were born in the colonies that would become the United States.
3. The first public reading of the Declaration of independence took place on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia.  It was said that the Liberty Bell was rung to bring together all the citizens for the reading, but the steeple that housed the bell was in poor condition at the time and it is unlikely that the bell was rung.
4. Robert Livingston, a member of the committee who edited Jefferson's document, did not sign it.  He believed it was too soon to declare independence and refused to sign it.  Big mistake!
5. On the back of the Declaration of Independence is written "Original Declaration of Independence/dated 4th July 1776." No one knows who wrote it, but it is assumed that whomever rolled up the document for storage many years later is the person who wrote it.
6. Printer John Dunlap made about 200 copies of the document that were distributed throughout the colonies.  These "Dunlap Broadsides," as they were known, are today rare and valuable.  In 1989 one was discovered and sold in 2000 for over $8 million.  It is said that there are only 26 Dunlap Broadsides that survive today.  Could you possibly have one hidden in your closet or attic?
7. It is said that the three reasons that July 4 was chosen to celebrate the Declaration of Independence: (1) The declaration was approved by Congress on that date. (2) It is the date on the formal handwritten and printed copies. (3) Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, two of the drafters and signers of the document, died on July 4, 1826.