1776: British North America: The Continental Congress is meeting in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia to consider a "Declaration of Independence" that concludes that "these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved." After ma the declaration is adopted by the representatives of twelve of the thirteen colonies comprising the Congress; New York finally adopts the document on 9 July. On 19 July, the Congress orders that the Declaration be "fairly engrossed on parchment, with the title and stile [sic] of 'The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America,' and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress." The document is prepared and the delegates begin signing it on 2
August and eventually 56 of the 58 men present when it was adopted on 4 July do sign it. (John Nicholas and Jack McKillop)
July 4th, 1939 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Submarine HMS Thistle commissioned.
GERMANY: Following Reichskristallnacht, the German government's tenth supplemental decree to the Reich Citizenship Law establishes the Reichsvereinigung in an effort to centralize Jewish emigration services without any distinction of religious affiliation. (Peter Kilduff)(256)
AUSTRIA: Vienna: Nazi thugs beat up the archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer.