1690 – Massachusetts Colony issued the first paper money in America.
1783 – Spain recognized the independence of the United States from Great Britain.
1870 – The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It decreed that the right to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.
1913 – The 16th Amendment, allowing the establishment of an income tax, became part of the U.S. Constitution after ratification by Wyoming.
1959 – Musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed in a plane crash in Iowa.
