John Nixon gave one of the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
The reading took place at noon in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. It followed Congress’s adoption of the Declaration four days earlier.
The first formal public readings occurred simultaneously in three places: Philadelphia; Trenton, New Jersey; and Easton, Pennsylvania. John Nixon is specifically associated with the Philadelphia reading.
The Liberty Bell is traditionally linked with the event, but the famous story that the bell rang immediately to announce the Declaration is not firmly documented. The well-supported fact is that the document was publicly read in Philadelphia on July 8.