February 1st
Today in 1790,Supreme Court convened for the first time at the Royal Exchange Building in New York City.
Today in 1861,by popular referendum, Texas became the seventh state to secede from the U.S.
Today in 1871,Jefferson Long of Georgia became the first black person to make an official speech in the House of Representatives. A Republican, he spoke in opposition of leniency for former Confederates.
Today in 1893,Thomas Edison completed worlds first movie studio at West Orange, New Jersey
Today in 1942, after three years of research and development, RCA introduced the first 45 RPM record and matching player.
Today in 1978,Harriet Tubman became the first African American woman to be honored on a US postage stamp.
Today in 1994,Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon to charges that he was involved in the attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan, the chief rival of his ex-wife, Tonya Harding. Gillooly struck a plea bargain, confessing to racketeering charges in exchange for testimony implicating Harding.
Today in 1999, former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky,gave a deposition that was videotaped for senators who were weighing impeachment charges against President Clinton.
Today in 2003,NASA's space shuttle Columbia exploded while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board were killed. The disaster was the second fatal accident in the Space Shuttle program after Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apart and killed its crew 73-seconds after liftoff in 1986.
Today in 2004,the “wardrobe malfunction”heard around the world took place as Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII. This resulted in American broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.
Today in 2008,Minnesota starter Johan Santana signed a six-year, $137.5-million deal with the New York Mets to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history; trade from Twins to Mets official the next day.
Today in 2015,Super Bowl XLIX saw the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24.
Today in 2017,Rex Tillerson was confirmed as 69th US Secretary of State. Of course, he was also infamously “fired by tweet” in March 2018. While President Trump played nice at first, by December 2018 here sorted to calling Tillerson"dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell."