On this date in history:

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, was signed by members of the Continental Congress.

In 1923, U.S. President Warren G. Harding died of a stroke in a San Francisco hotel at the age of 58. He was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

In 1934, with the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor Adolf Hitler became absolute dictator of Germany under the title of fuehrer, or leader.

In 1968, a major earthquake in the Philippines rocked Manila, killing 307 people.

In 1974, John Dean, counsel to U.S. President Richard Nixon, was sentenced to 1-to-4 years in prison for his part in the Watergate coverup. (Dean's sentenced was reduced and he was released after four months).

In 1985, 135 people died in the crash of a Delta Airlines L-1011 jet at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1990, Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait after weeks of tension over disputed land and oil production quotas.

In 2000, the Republican Party nominated George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to head its ticket for the November elections.

In 2010, U.S. scientists estimated that the BP oil spill touched off by an April 20 explosion on an offshore rig leaked 5 million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the world's largest oil spill of its kind.

In 2012, Kofi Annan, outgoing U.N. Arab League envoy to Syria, said a political solution is essential in the war-torn country because military means alone will not end the crisis. He said Syrian President Bashar Assad had to step down.

In 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent -- a four-year low.

In 2014, an accidental explosion in an eastern China factory that authorities said had unsafe conditions killed about 75 people and injured scores of others. .

Copyright 2015 by United Press International