12 Historical "Facts" That Simply Aren't True

1. The US Declaration Of Independence Was Not Signed On July 4, 1776... It Was Merely Approved By Congress On That Date

American Independence Day brings about celebrations across the USA on July 4 - supposedly the date that the original Declaration was signed.

However, this is not true - it was actually signed on July 2, 1776, by the Founding Fathers. July 4th was actually the day when Congress ratified and issued the Declaration of Independence in various forms - including Thomas Jefferson's original draft, as well as the changes made to it by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

So key was the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence actually deemed that Adams wanted the USA's national birthday to be celebrated on July 2nd, and not July 4th as it is now, because he thought that was more important than Congress ratifying the document.

Although there may only be two days in it, it is interesting to note that many commentators suggest that July 4th is actually the day the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Founding Fathers, and not July 2nd.