Today is Wednesday, February 1, the 32nd day of 2023. There are 333 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry, killing all seven crew members: Commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark; and payload specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space.
In 1790, the US Supreme Court met for the first time in New York. (However, as only three of the six justices were present, the court adjourned until the next day.)
In 1862, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a poem by Julia Ward Howe, was published in the Atlantic Monthly.
In 1865, abolitionist John S. Rock became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the US Supreme Court.
In 1943, during World War II, one of America’s most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, comprised almost exclusively of Japanese-Americans, was authorized.
In 1959, men in Switzerland rejected giving women the right to vote by a referendum margin of over 2-1. (Swiss women won the right to vote in 1971.)
In 1960, four black students began a protest at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they were refused service.
In 1979, Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY’-nee) received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.
In 1991, 34 people died when an arriving USAir airliner crashed into the top of a commuter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
In 1994, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon to racketeering for his role in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence (he ended up serving six months) and a $100,000 fine.
In 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not run for re-election in September’s elections, but rejected demands by protesters to resign immediately and leave the country after a dramatic day in which a quarter of a million Egyptians organized the biggest protest so far. calling him to leave.
In 2016, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency due to the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, calling it an “extraordinary event” that posed a public health threat to other parts of the the world.
In 2020, as China’s death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to 259, Beijing criticized Washington’s order to bar entry to most foreigners who visited China in the past two weeks. A World Health Organization official said governments must prepare for “domestic control of outbreaks”.
Ten years ago: Hillary Rodham Clinton officially resigned as America’s 67th Secretary of State, capping a four-year term in which she broke records for the number of countries visited. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 14,009.79, above the 14,000 mark for the first time in more than five years. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch has died at the age of 88.
Five years ago: Republican state representative Don Shooter was expelled from the Arizona House over a long pattern of sexual misconduct, making him the first US state lawmaker to be expelled since the rise of the #MeToo movement. Los Angeles sheriff’s officials said new witnesses have come forward in the 1981 drowning death of actress Natalie Wood, prompting investigators to name her ex-husband, Robert Wagner, a “person of interest” in what they consider a “suspicious death”. (Detectives later said the evidence did not meet the threshold for a homicide investigation and that they did not plan to file criminal charges.)
One year ago: Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s top security requirements, but signaled he was willing to engage in greater diplomacy to reduce tensions in Ukraine. (Russia will invade Ukraine on February 24.) Quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL after winning seven Super Bowls and an unprecedented 22-year career. (Six weeks later, he would reverse course and announce he would return for a 23rd season). ABC News announced that Whoopi Goldberg will be suspended for two weeks as co-host of “The View” over remarks a day earlier about Jews and the Holocaust that the network called “wrong and hurtful.” .
Today’s Birthdays: Today’s Birthdays: Actor Garrett Morris is 86 years old. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 84. TV singer Joy Philbin is 82 years old. Political commentator Fred Barnes is 80 years old. Rock musician Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 73 years old. Blues singer-musician Sonny Landreth is 72 years old. Actor-writer-producer Bill Mumy (MOO’-mee) is 69 years old. Rock singer Exene Cervenka is 67 years old. Actor Linus Roache is 59 years old. Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 58 years old. Actor Sherilyn Fenn is 58 years old. Comedian Pauly Shore is 55 years old. Actor Brian Krause is 54 years old. Jazz musician Joshua Redman is 54 years old. Rock musician Patrick Wilson (Weezer) is 54 years old. Actor Michael C. Hall is 52 years old. Rock musician Ron Welty is 52 years old. Rapper Big Boi ( Outkast) is 48. Roots rocker Jason Isbell is 44. Country singer Julie Roberts is 44. Rock singer and musician Andrew VanWyngarden is 40. TV personality Lauren Conrad is 37. Actor and singer Heather Morris is 36. Actor and mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey is 36. Rock singer Harry Styles (One Direction) is 29.