February 1, space shuttle Columbia destroyed during re-entry
Today is Sunday, February 1, the 32nd day of the year 2026. There are 333 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, 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.
Also on this date:
In 1865, abolitionist John S. Rock became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court.
In 1943, during World War II, one of America’s most decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed almost exclusively of Japanese Americans, was activated.
In 1960, four black students began a sit-in protest outside a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they had been refused service.
In 1979, Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY’-nee) was welcomed by millions in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.
In 1991, an arriving USAir jetliner crashed on top of a commuter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport, killing 35 people.
In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of Tonya Harding, 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 and a $100,000 fine.
In 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was killed by Islamist militants in Pakistan after being kidnapped nine days earlier.
In 2016, the World Health Organization declared a global state of emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, linked to birth defects in the Americas.
In 2021, Myanmar’s military overthrew the Southeast Asian country’s elected government. (Armed resistance emerged after the military used lethal force to crush nonviolent protests against its takeover, and an ensuing civil war displaced more than 3.6 million people in the country, according to the UN.)
Today’s birthdays:
- Actor Garrett Morris is 89 years old.
- Political commentator Fred Barnes is 83 years old.
- Princess Stéphanie of Monaco is 61 years old.
- Actress Sherilyn Fenn is 61 years old.
- American Football Hall of Famer Michelle Akers is 60 years old.
- Comedian and actor Pauly Shore is 58 years old.
- Actor Michael C. Hall is 55 years old.
- Rapper Big Boi (Outkast) is 51 years old.
- Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell is 47 years old.
- Television personality Lauren Conrad is 40 years old.
- Mixed martial arts artist Ronda Rousey is 39 years old.
- Actress Julia Garner is 32 years old.
- Singer and actor Harry Styles is 32 years old.
- Singer Jessica Baio is 24 years old.
