The Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
The reading took place at the State House Yard, outside the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall. Colonel John Nixon is traditionally identified as the person who read the declaration aloud to the gathered crowd.
Congress adopted the declaration on July 4, but printing and distributing copies took time. John Dunlap printed the first broadside editions, often called the Dunlap broadsides. Public readings helped communicate the congressional decision to people who could not access the written document.
The first reading date is different from both the adoption date and the main signing date. Congress adopted the declaration on July 4, 1776, and most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2. These three dates are often blended together in popular retellings.