Members of Congress affix their signatures to an enlarged copy
of the Declaration of Independence.

Fifty-six congressional delegates in total signed the document, including
some who were not present at the vote approving the declaration. The
delegates signed by state from North to South, beginning with Josiah
Bartlett of New Hampshire and ending with George Walton of Georgia.

John Dickinson of Pennsylvania and James Duane, Robert Livingston
and John Jay of New York refused to sign. Carter Braxton of Virginia;
Robert Morris of Pennsylvania; George Reed of Delaware; and Edward
Rutledge of South Carolina opposed the document but signed in order
to give the impression of a unanimous Congress. Five delegates were
absent: Generals George Washington, John Sullivan, James Clinton
and Christopher Gadsden and Virginia Governor Patrick Henry.

.

Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, right, and his PT-109 crew are shown somewhere in the South Pacific, July 1943.

On August 1, 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol
torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive
other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two
crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt. John F.
Kennedy. His actions made him a war hero.

Bob Steele (Robert Adrian Bradbury)
(January 23, 1907 – December 21, 1988)

1940

Vintage western belt buckle.

Herman Melville (born Melvill) (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)

A towering figure in American literature, Herman Melville is the author of
several seafaring tales, including "Billy Budd, Sailor," "Typee," and "Moby
-Dick." He is also famous for shorter works such as "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
and "Benito Cereno."

Before fame, Melville worked as a surveyor for the Erie Canal before taking
a position on the crew of a New York ship headed for Liverpool. Later, he
sailed on the whaling ship Acushnet, an experience that inspired his
masterpiece novel, Moby-Dick.