February 1st What Happened on the day you were born on This day in History
2003 U.S.A. Columbia Explodes
1st February, 2003 : The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and the seven astronauts die as leaving the world in a state of shock and disbelief. George W. Bush addressed the nation on television and paid tribute to the seven members aboard this ship who lost their lives. This is the second space shuttle disaster since 1986, the year the Challenger exploded.
1st February, 2003 : The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and the seven astronauts die as leaving the world in a state of shock and disbelief. George W. Bush addressed the nation on television and paid tribute to the seven members aboard this ship who lost their lives. This is the second space shuttle disaster since 1986, the year the Challenger exploded.
1898 U.S.A. First Auto Insurance Policy
1st February, 1898 : The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, issue the first automobile insurance policy to an individual.
1920 Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police
1st February, 1920 : The Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the federal and national police force in Canada is established when Royal North West Mounted Police and the Dominion Police are combined as a single force .
1929 U.S.A. Wool Grower’s Convention
1st February, 1929 : It was reported on this day that the Wool Grower’s Association had chosen San Angelo, Texas as the location for the next Wool Grower’s Convention. This convention was sought for by other U.S. cities, such as Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Los Angeles.
1932 U.S.A. Unemployment In Depression Years
1st February, 1932 : The Magnolia Petroleum Company had pledged to contribute money towards the emergency unemployment plan. The amount of money that this company planned to donate equaled to about $40 to $45 dollars monthly in 1932 money.
1933 U.S.A. Groundhog Day
1st February, 1933 : Normally if a groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day six more weeks of winter is predicted to take place. However, weather forecasters had warned people that even if the groundhog does not see his shadow tomorrow (February 2, 1933) there still could be six more weeks of winter.
1937 U.S.A. Flood
1st February, 1937 : The National Guard and police forces were called to help flood victims. The role of these enforcement agencies was to help control the streets of Memphis as flood refugees made way from one place to another.
Another role of law enforcement-along with health personnel-was to provide services to certain unregistered Memphis residents. Unfortunately, it was reported that taking care of these unregistered residents was a “nuisance”.
The 20,000 people of Memphis, Tennessee who were not registered had not been immunized before, and they also have not been examined previously. Therefore, guards have been stationed in various places, such as on the Harahan Bridge, which runs across the Mississippi River to the state of Arkansas.
1940 U.S.A. Frank Sinatra
1st February, 1940 : Frank Sinatra sings the hits "Too Romantic" and "The Sky Fell Down" during his debut recording session with the popular Tommy Dorsey Band. This was his first recording with the band since replacing its previous singer - Jack Leonard.
1943 Japan Guadalcanal
1st February, 1943 : The Japanese had evacuated Guadalcanal on this day. Before the Japanese withdrew they were defeated by U.S. Marine troops. Likewise, they (the Japanese) hung on for as long they possibly could, and for as long as the emperor required them to fight.
1952 England TV Detector Vans
1st February, 1952 : In the UK the BBC is funded via TV Licences issued by the British Government keeping the BBC free of commercial advertising, in 1952 following a report that showed large numbers of people were not paying for the licence the government bought in TV Detector Vans to track down users of unlicensed television sets in the UK.
1953 Netherlands Dikes Breached
1st February, 1953 : A powerful storm breached sea dikes in the provinces of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant due to the combination of spring tide and a northwesterly storm. The resulting flood accounted for more than 1,835 deaths in the Netherlands.
1953 England Storms
1st February, 1953 : Gale force winds on the east coast of Britain are some of the strongest storms ever recorded breaking through flood defences from Yorkshire down to Kent, up to 150 lives are lost and thousands are forced to leave homes including all residents of Canvey Island when the area becomes flooded. Passengers on the Princess Victoria ferry, from Scotland to Ireland, are forced to abandon ship in the Irish Sea due to high sees.
1958 Egypt Egypt and Syria Become United Arab Republic
1st February, 1958 : Between this date and 1961, Egypt and Syria became one. They were called the United Arab Republic. After 1961, Syria withdrew from this newly-formed union during a revolution and military takeover. Egypt continued to use the United Arab Republic name until the year 1971.
1960 U.S.A. Protest
1st February, 1960 : Four black college students begin a sit-in protest against racial descrimination after they are refused service at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C.,.
1962 U.S.A. Lewd Dance
1st February, 1962 : A woman was tried in court after performing a lewd dance at a local Hollywood night club. The reason that this woman went to court was because she had allowed audience members to stuff money into her costume-a practice more common in today’s day.
The woman’s argument regarding the allowing of money to be stuffed into her custom is that it is an old Greek custom. The jury had decided that it is Greek to them too, which implies that the jury probably ruled that she had done nothing wrong.
1962 U.S.A. Welfare Reform
1st February, 1962 : President John F. Kennedy addressed Congress on the issue of welfare. He wanted to see to it that laws were changed in order to provide an incentive for people to return to work. He also wanted to create a way for people to become more independent and to lead productive lives.
Part of the welfare improvement plan proposed by JFK was to increase the amount of money funding rehabilitation. Part of this funding was to help pay social workers who would be in charge of helping people regain independence.
1968 U.S.A. Elvis Becomes a Dad
1st February, 1968: Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla Presley became the proud parents of a little girl 6-pound, 15 ounce Lisa Marie Presley
1969 U.S.A. John DeLorean
1st February, 1969: John DeLorean becomes general manager of Chevrolet, he went on to create the ill fated Delorean when he was provided major funding by the British Government to set up a factory in Northern Ireland. Although the car never took off the Delorean's are highly sought after by collectors today
1974 U.S.A. Ted Bundy
1st February, 1974: Lynda Ann Healy becomes the second victim murdered by Ted Bundy. During that summer Bundy attacked and murdered at least seven young women in Washington. He was eventualy caught and confessed to the murder of 36 murders and was executed on January 24, 1989
1979 U.S.A. Patty Hearst
1st February, 1979 : American newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was released from prison after joining SLA members in a bank robbery on April 15, 1974. ending a five-year drama during which the world saw her as a kidnap victim, A Bank Robber, an urban guerrilla and finally a convict.
1979 Iran Ayatollah Khomeini
1st February, 1979 : Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 14 years in exile, five million people turned out to welcome him in the nation's capital, Tehran, over the next two weeks he built an army of revolutionary forces who took over power in the country forcing the army to step aside. Ayatollah Khomeini was the start of the Islamic Fundementalist regime that now controls Iran.
1982 U.S.A. Late Night With David Letterman
1st February, 1982 : This was the first day that Late Night with David Letterman was aired. It became a favorite show for quite a few college students, and contended with what used to be the Tonight Show after Johnny Carson had retired.
1984 England Half Penny Coin Ends
1st February, 1984 : The half penny coin ceases to be legal tender. Many believe this will lead to inflationary pressure as even government sales like stamps ( 12 1/2 p will increase to 13p )
1991 Pakistan Earthquake
1st February, 1991 : An earthquake, measuring around 6.8 on the Richter scale, occurred near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan
1999 U.S.A. Monica Lewinsky
1st February, 1999 : Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gives deposition via interview on videotape during impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was the presiding judge. ( Clinton was Impeached, but he was not Removed by the Senate. )
2004 U.S.A. Janet Jackson
1st February, 2004 : Janet Jackson's breast is briefly exposed by Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show. Timberlake later referred to the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction."
2008 Iraq Bagdad Attack
1st February, 2008 : A coordinated attack on two pet bazaars in Baghdad by two women wearing explosives under traditional black Islamic robes which were detonated remotely kill 90 people in the al-Ghazl pet market and a bird market in southeastern Baghdad making it the deadliest attack since the US surge of an additional 30,000 extra troops sent to the capital last year.
