On this date
In 1783, Spain formally recognized American independence.
In 1877, the song “Chopsticks,” written by 16-year-old Euphemia Allen under the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli, was deposited at the British Museum under the title “The Celebrated Chop Waltz.”
In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified.
In 1959, rock ’n’ roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. In 1966, the Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first manmade object to make a soft landing on the moon.
In 1989, Alfredo Stroessner, president of Paraguay for more than three decades, was overthrown in a military coup.
In 1995, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, in the pilot’s seat for the first time in NASA history.
Ten years ago: A suicide truck bomber struck a Baghdad market in a predominantly Shiite area, killing 137 people.
Five years ago: Susan G. Komen for the Cure abandoned plans to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, following a three-day furor that resounded across the internet, in Congress and among Komen affiliates. One year ago: Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, 74, died in Los Angeles.