On this day in 1826, Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, died the same day as John Adams, second president of the United States, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
On this day in 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia withdrew from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signaling an end to the Southern invasion of the North.
On this day in 1886, the people of France offered the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States.
On this day in 1946, after 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attained full independence from the United States
On this day in 1997, NASA’s Pathfinder space probe landed on the surface of Mars.