MOMENTS IN TIME

. On July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall), summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Though the document was adopted by delegates on July 4, the Liberty Bell was not rung until the Declaration of Independence returned from the printer on July 8.

. On July 9, 1877, the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club begins its first lawn tennis tournament at Wimbledon. The Wimbledon Championship is the only major tennis event still played on grass.

. On July 10, 1992, the Alaska court of appeals overturns the conviction of Joseph Hazelwood, the former captain of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez. Hazelwood had been found guilty of negligence for his role in the massive oil spill in Prince William Sound in 1989. The Exxon Valdez, renamed Sea River Mediterranean, still transports oil, but is legally prohibited from entering Prince William Sound.

. On July 11, 1656, Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, two Englishwomen, become the first Quakers to immigrate to Boston. Austin and Fisher, whose liberal teachings enraged the Puritan colonial government, were arrested and jailed. After five years in prison, they were deported.