A significant piece of American history has resurfaced in the United Kingdom. Archivists at the UK's National Archives have uncovered a 'vanishingly rare' printed copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The document was discovered during a cataloguing project of Revolutionary War-era naval papers. It is the only known copy seized by military force. Historians traced its origin to Christmas Eve 1776, when the Royal Navy captured the American privateer ship Dalton off the coast of Portugal.
The copy is identified as a 'Dunlap broadside,' one of the approximately 200 printed copies made by John Dunlap for distribution. Only 26 such copies are known to survive today.
Officials describe the find as 'exceptional.' Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of the National Archives, noted it underscores the 'transatlantic' nature of the Revolution. The discovery occurs just ahead of the document's 250th anniversary.