The Continental Congress actually voted to declare independence on July 2, 1776. John Adams was so certain this would be the date remembered forever that he wrote to his wife, saying July 2 would be celebrated with “pomp and parade… bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.”

But history had other plans. The final wording of the Declaration of Independence wasn’t approved until July 4, and that’s the date printed on the document.

Over time, the date on the paper became the date we celebrated. The date on the document simply became the one we remembered.