Just In
Spotlight
Today in history: Feb. 1
- Updated
In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its crew members, and more events that happened on this day in history.
1943: 442nd Regimental Combat Team
In 1943, during World War II, one of America’s most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost exclusively of Japanese-Americans, was authorized.
AP1960: Sit-In Protest
In 1960, four Black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they’d been refused service.
AP1979: Iran
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.
AP1991: Plane Crash
In 1991, 34 people were killed when an arriving USAir jetliner crashed atop a commuter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
AP2003: Space Shuttle Columbia
In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its 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.
AP2011: Egypt
In 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not run for a new term in September elections but rejected protesters’ demands he step down immediately and leave the country, after a dramatic day in which a quarter-million Egyptians staged their biggest protest to date calling on him to go.
AP2012: Don Cornelius
Ten years ago: Don Cornelius, 74, creator of “Soul Train,” died in Los Angeles of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.
AP2012: Facebook
Ten years ago: Facebook, the Internet social network, announced plans to go public with a stock offering.
AP2017: Rex Tillerson
Five years ago: The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson, 56-43, to be U.S. secretary of state.
AP2017: University of California, Berkeley
Five years ago: Violence and rioting at the University of California, Berkeley, forced the cancellation of a talk by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
AP2021: John Sweeney
One year ago: Former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney died at age 86 at his Washington-area home.
AP2021: Myanmar
One year ago: Myanmar’s military staged a coup and arrested the civilian leaders of its government, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
AP2021: Winter Weather
One year ago: A sprawling, lumbering winter storm walloped the Eastern U.S., shutting down coronavirus vaccination sites, closing schools and halting transit.
AP2022: Tom Brady
One year ago: 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).
Gary McCullough