This week marks the 248^th anniversary of the Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  It’s a big day in our nation’s history.

But it’s not the only significant event in our nation’s history that has happened on that day.

If you’re really in the mood to celebrate (or somberly remember), here are some other things that also happened on that day (all of these events are listed on the history.com and Britannica.com websites, in case you’re wondering):

1636 – The city of Providence, Rhode Island is formed.

1796 – the first Independence Day celebration is observed in the United States.

1802 – The United States Military Academy opens in West Point, New York.

1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is announced by President Thomas Jefferson.

1817 – Construction begins on the Erie Canal.

1826 – American statesmen Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on the same day.

1828 – Construction begins on the B&O Railroad.

1831 – The song “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” is performed for the first time.

1845 – Henry David Thoreau moves to Walden Pond, where he would eventually compose “Life in the Woods”.

1855 – Walt Whitman publishes his first edition of “Leaves of Grass”.

1863 – The Confederates surrender at Vicksburg.  Robert E. Lee also withdrawals from Gettysburg, PA.

1876 – First exhibition of electrical lights is held in San Francisco.

1883 – Buffalo Bill Cody presents his first Wild West Show in North Platte, Nebraska.

1884 – France gives the Statue of Liberty to the United States.

1895 – Katherine Lee Bates publishes “America the Beautiful”.

1931 – First fireworks are held at Cleveland Stadium.

1933 – Lou Gehrig gives his “luckiest man alive” speech in New York.

1944 – The American flag is raised on the island of Iwo Jima, resulting in an iconic photograph.

1960 – America’s new 50-star flag honoring Hawaiian statehood is unfurled.

1970 – Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” debuts on LA radio.

1997 – The “Pathfinder” probe lands on the surface of Mars.

2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower (which replaced the World Trade Center) is laid in New York City.

As you can see, there’s a lot to celebrate on the 4^th of July.  So, no matter what reason you’re honoring America (or its deeds) on the 4^th, I hope you have a safe and happy one.