Today in 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia formally adopted the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
Today in 1802, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was officially opened.
Today in 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was announced. The property was purchased for $15-million – or 3-cents an acre.
Today in 1884, the Statue of Liberty was formally presented to the U.S. ambassador in France. It was later dismantled and shipped to New York for reconstruction.
Today in 1910, race riots broke out all over the United States after African-American Jack Johnson knocked out Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match.
Today in 1930, Elijah Muhammad (formerly known as Wallace Ford Muhammad) formed the Nation of Islam in Detroit.
Today in 1939, baseball's "Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, officially said farewell to his fans at New York's Yankee Stadium.
Today in 1966, President Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act, which went into effect the following year.
Today in 1976, the U.S. celebrated its Bicentennial.
Today in 1984, the Statue of Liberty's torch, the symbol of freedom to tens of millions of new Americans for almost a century, was removed from the statue's outstretched hand to be replaced with a new one the following year.
Today in 1985, baseball history was made when the New York Mets finally beat the Atlanta Braves by a 16-13 score in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium…at 3:55am.
Today in 1987, Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the "Butcher of Lyon," was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
Today in 1987, Martina Navratilova won her eighth Wimbledon singles title as she defeated Steffi Graf.
Today in 1988, Stefan Edberg beat Boris Becker to win his first Wimbledon title.
Today in 1994, the cable network "America's Talking" debuted. Two years later, it was replaced by MSNBC.
Today in 1997, the Mars Pathfinder, an unmanned spacecraft, landed on Mars.
Today in 2003, LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant was arrested in Eagle, Colorado for the alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel worker. The charges were eventually dismissed.
Today in 2004, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the former World Trade Center site in New York.
Today in 2009, the Statue of Liberty’s crown reopened to visitors for the first time since the September 11th attacks of 2001.
Today in 2016, NASA's Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter's orbit.
Today in 2017, North Korea tested their first successful intercontinental ballistic missile into Sea of Japan.