In 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident," said the document, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
In 1802, the U.S. Military Academy opened at West Point,
N.Y.
In 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson - the nation's second and third presidents - both died, 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
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Conductor Mitch Miller (1911)
Twin advice columnists Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers (1918)