On this date:
In 1781, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.

In 1790, Congress authorized the first US Census.

In 1845, President Tyler signed a congressional resolution to annex the Republic of Texas.

In 1864, Rebecca Lee became the first black woman to receive an American medical degree, from the New England Female Medical College in Boston.

In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

In 1872, Congress authorized creation of Yellowstone National Park.

In 1940, "Native Son" by Richard Wright was first published.

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U-S House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.

In 1961, President Kennedy established the Peace Corps.

In 1981, Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.

Ten years ago: The controversial Seabrook, New Hampshire, nuclear power plant won federal permission to go on line after two decades of protests and legal struggles.

Five years ago: Somalia militiamen loyal to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid seized control of the Mogadishu airport after peacekeepers withdrew. At the 37th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Sheryl Crow won record of the year for "All I Wanna Do" while Tony Bennett's "MTV Unplugged" was named best album.

One year ago: The General Accounting Office released an audit of the Internal Revenue Service which found chronic problems in the agency's record-keeping. An attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels in a Ugandan national park left eight foreign tourists, including two Americans, and a park guard dead.

每日格言

"If you are able to state a problem, it can be solved."

-- Edwin H. Land, American inventor (1909-1991).