The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the Continental Congress, on this day. From this moment on, the United States saw itself as independent from Great Britain and its king, although the American War of Independence would run for another 5 years.

It was mostly the work of Thomas Jefferson. The first section of the work contains the lines:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

It cannot be underestimated what a personal risk it was to the signatories of this declaration. But they heroically stood firm against one of the greatest powers the world had ever seen.

Ironic footnote: Two of the signatories of The Declaration of Independence, and two former presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both die on this day in 1826, exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration.