This Day in History: Liberty Bell Tolls <br />to Announce Declaration of <br />Independence July 8, 1776 Adopted four days earlier, <br />the printed copies of the <br />Declaration of Independence <br />were not completed until July 8. Made of copper and tin, the <br />2,000 pound bell rang out <br />from what is now known as <br />Independence Hall in Philadelphia. During the American Revolution, <br />the bell was hidden in Allentown <br />and returned with the defeat <br />of the British in 1781. The famous Liberty Bell crack <br />is thought to have occurred as <br />it tolled during the funeral of <br />chief justice John Marshall in 1835. While the bell has not been <br />rung since 1846, it continues <br />to be tapped ceremoniously <br />for important events. The Liberty Bell is now housed <br />in a pavilion close to Independence Hall. <br />It attracts more than a million tourists every year.
