On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
In 1802 the U.S. Military Academy opened at West Point, N.Y.
In 1826 the second and third presidents of the U.S., John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died.
In 1831 James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president, died.
In 1863 Union troops under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Miss., ending a 14-month siege in the Civil War.
In 1872 Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. president, was born at Plymouth, Vt.
In 1900 Jazz great Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans.
In 1946 the Philippines became an independent republic after 48 years of U.S. sovereignty.
In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law.
In 1980 North Michigan Avenue was jammed with people attending the first Taste of Chicago.
