1468: The birth of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press.

1690: Massachusetts issued the first paper money in the American colonies.


1870: The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, granting African American men the right to vote.

1913: The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the federal government to impose and collect income taxes.

1959: The music icon Buddy Holly, along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, dies in a plane crash in Iowa.

1984: The Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut crew is killed when the shuttle breaks apart 73 seconds after liftoff.

1984: The first American steel ship, the Dirigo, was launched from Bath, Maine.


1998: Karla Faye Tucker is executed in Texas, becoming the first woman executed in the United States since 1984.

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