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