The Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
The reading took place four days after the Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4. Public readings helped spread the news of independence beyond the delegates who had debated and approved the text.
Philadelphia’s bells rang in connection with the public proclamation, and later tradition associated the Liberty Bell with that event. Historians say the Liberty Bell may have been among the bells rung, but there is no contemporary evidence proving that it rang specifically for the reading.
This distinction is important in America250 trivia. July 4 is the adoption date and the national Independence Day, while July 8 is associated with the first public reading in Philadelphia. The famous story that the Liberty Bell rang on July 4 is a later legend rather than a documented event.