This Day in History: Liberty Bell Tolls
to Announce Declaration of
Independence July 8, 1776 Adopted four days earlier,
the printed copies of the
Declaration of Independence
were not completed until July 8. Made of copper and tin, the
2,000 pound bell rang out
from what is now known as
Independence Hall in Philadelphia. During the American Revolution,
the bell was hidden in Allentown
and returned with the defeat
of the British in 1781. The famous Liberty Bell crack
is thought to have occurred as
it tolled during the funeral of
chief justice John Marshall in 1835. While the bell has not been
rung since 1846, it continues
to be tapped ceremoniously
for important events. The Liberty Bell is now housed
in a pavilion close to Independence Hall.
It attracts more than a million tourists every year.
