July 4, 1826: The deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

The United States celebrated its 50th anniversary on this day in 1826. On that glorious and significant birthday, the two men who arguably did the most to achieve American independence died: John Adams of Massachusetts, by championing it in the Continental Congress, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, by writing the Declaration of Independence. Adams -- whose son John Quincy Adams was president at the time -- is reported to have said before he passed on: "Thomas Jefferson survives," unaware that Jefferson had died a few hours earlier.