On This Day for July 4 - Declaration of Independence approved by Second Continental Congress, Vivekananda is born, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. July 04 [Vivekananda] BORN ON THIS DAY 1863 Vivekananda [Hindu]( spiritual leader and reformer [Vivekananda]( attempted to combine Indian spirituality with Western material progress, maintaining that they supplemented and complemented one another—died this day in [Calcutta]( in 1902. [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( [Declaration of Independence, oil on canvas by John Trumbull, 1818, for the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The members of the Continental Congress signed the declaration in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.] ON THIS DAY 1776 Declaration of Independence approved by Second Continental Congress The [Declaration of Independence]( adopted this day in 1776 by the Second [Continental Congress]( called for the American colonies to secede from Great Britain, a proclamation now commemorated as a [U.S. national holiday](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( [Discover the NEW Britannica Kids! Click Here to Learn More!]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [The Compact Muon Solenoid magnet arriving in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, 2007.] 2012: Scientists at the [Large Hadron Collider]( at [CERN]( announced that they had detected an interesting signal that was likely from a [Higgs boson](. 1976: An Israeli commando squad completed its [raid]( on [Entebbe]( Uganda, rescuing 103 hostages from a French jet airliner that had been hijacked en route from Israel to France. [Philippines] 1946: The [Republic of the Philippines]( was proclaimed an independent country, with [Manuel Roxas]( as its first president. [Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay.] 1884: The [Statue of Liberty]( was presented to the [United States]( by the [French]( in Paris. [Alice's Adventures in Wonderland] 1865: [Lewis Carroll]( Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published. [Henry David Thoreau, portrait by Samuel Worcester Rowse, 1854; in the Concord Free Public Library, Massachusetts.] 1845: Essayist and philosopher [Henry David Thoreau]( moved to his retreat at [Walden Pond]( where he eventually wrote a series of reflective essays titled Walden; or, Life in the Woods. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1968 Cyrus Mistry Indian businessman 1924 Eva Marie Saint American actress 1902 Meyer Lansky American gangster 1872 Calvin Coolidge president of United States 1807 Giuseppe Garibaldi Italian revolutionary 1804 Nathaniel Hawthorne American writer [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2018 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](