The United States Declaration of Independence was first read publicly in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
The reading took place at the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall, after printed copies of the document began circulating. Colonel John Nixon is traditionally identified as the person who read the text aloud to a public audience in the State House yard.
This date helps separate several events that are often merged in popular memory. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, and most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2. The first public reading came four days after adoption, allowing the news to be announced to people outside Congress.
Philadelphia bells reportedly rang in celebration, and the State House Bell is commonly associated with the occasion. However, there is no contemporary proof that the Liberty Bell itself rang specifically for the reading. That uncertainty has not diminished its later symbolic importance.