"On This Date The Constitution of the United States went into effect (1789). Vermont became the 14th state (1791). Labor Secretary Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in a president's cabinet (1933).</br></br>On This Date Five colonists died when British troops opened fire in Boston, an event that became known as the Boston Massacre and helped spark the American Revolution (1770).</br></br>Birthdays Basketball's Shaquille O'Neal (1972). Former D.C. mayor Marion Barry (1936). Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (1926). Artist Michelangelo (1475).</br></br>On This Date The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to the Mexican army after a 13-day siege (1836). In its ""Dred Scott"" decision, the Supreme Court held that a slave could not sue for his freedom in federal court (1857).</br></br>Birthdays Arlington KidsPost reader Alexander Cox (1994). Herndon KidsPost reader Shannon Shelley (1992). Olney KidsPost reader Sara Consolino (1991). Auto racer Janet Guthrie (1938). Painter Piet Mondriaan (1872)."