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The Declaration was signed in August, not on July 4

Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, but delegates began signing the parchment copy on August 2.

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Not every delegate was present that day, and some signed later. In all, 56 delegates eventually signed the document.

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Two people have turned down a Nobel Prize

Two laureates have declined a Nobel Prize: Jean-Paul Sartre in 1964 and Le Duc Tho in 1973.

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Ellis Island processed 12 million immigrants

From 1892 to 1924, more than 12 million immigrants were processed at Ellis Island.

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The Louisiana Purchase doubled the United States

In 1803 the United States bought 828,000 square miles from France for $15 million, roughly 4 cents an acre.

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