JULY 4, 1826 - Fifty years to the day of the adoption of Declaration of Independence both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died of natural causes. Jefferson and Adams were both signers of the Declaration of Independence and both served on the committee assigned to draft the document, though Jefferson was the primary author. Adams went on to serve as the second President of the United States, and Jefferson served as the third. While the two men were members of opposing political parties and had frequent disagreements throughout their political careers, both are regarded among the greatest figures in American history.

JULY 4, 1960 - The current 50-star flag of the United States of America was adopted by Congress following the admission of Hawaii as a state on August 21, 1959. The flag replaced the 49-star flag, which only flew for 1 year. The 50-star flag has been the longest serving official flag of the United States, flying overhead for 53 years. The previous record was the 48-star flag, which flew for 47 years following the admission of Arizona and New Mexico in 1912. The third longest-serving flag was the 15-star flag which flew for 23 years, from May 1, 1795, until July 3, 1818, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky. Interestingly the 15-star flag was also the only United States flag to have more than 13 stripes. The flag had 15 stripes to match its 15 stars. However with the adoption of the 20 star flag on July 4, 1818, the flag reverted back to the 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies.