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America The Story of US: Revolution 4 July 1776.
The Declaration of Independence is read to crowds in New York. Offshore, more than 400 ships bristling with soldiers and guns are massing. It is the largest British invasion force until D-Day. |
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On this day in 1776, a 2,000-pound copper-and-tin bell now known as the “Liberty Bell” rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Four days earlier, the historic document had been adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress, but the bell did not ring to announce the issuing of the document until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.
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As the British advanced toward Philadelphia in the fall of 1777, the bell was removed from the city and hidden in Allentown to save it from being melted down by the British and used to make cannons. After the British defeat in 1781, the bell was returned to Philadelphia, which served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800. In addition to marking important events, the bell tolled annually to celebrate George Washington's birthday on February 22 and Independence Day on July 4. The name "Liberty Bell" was first coined in an 1839 poem in an abolitionist pamphlet.
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| Read more on History Channel - opens in new window |
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Shuttle Challenger: 25 years later |
Space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986 killing all seven astronauts on board. It was the first disaster of the space shuttle program and seen by millions on TV across the nation. Schoolchildren watched as the first civilian astronaut, New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe, was heralding in a new era of space travel. Others killed in the explosion were Michael J. Smith, Francis R. Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Resnick. |
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The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum may incorporate debris from space shuttles Columbia and Challenger in its new gallery dedicated to the soon-ending shuttle program. The Washington, D.C., display will only go forward however, if the families of the shuttles' fallen astronauts and NASA agree with the museum's plans. |
| Read more and see photos |
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Go for Launch! The Space Shuttle Discovery The Time Lapse Movie |
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Giant Norias of Hama |
On the riverbank of the Orontes River in the city Hama in Syria you can see the huge wooden waterwheels - Norias. Impressive because of their size - about 20 meters high - but also because of their sound. The friction of the wood (both the wheels as the blocks on which they are mounted)produces a groaning sound. There used to be around 30 Norias - the oldest dates from the 14th century - now about 12 of them remain. They were built to provide water for the city Hama and for irrigation. Nowadays no longer used for that purpose. |
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Dogfights: Death of the Luftwaffe |
New years day, 1945... A damp morning in northeast Belgium. A light dusting of snow and rime ice clings to the pierced-steel-plank runway.
This will be the sight of one of the greatest dogfights in history. |
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