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UPI Almanac for Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015

Thirteenth Amendment signed by Lincoln, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, Bernanke becomes Fed chief, Kerry sworn in as U.S. secretary of state … on this date in history.

By United Press International
The space shuttle Columbia is poised for a launch on Jan. 16, 2003, carrying seven astronauts. The shuttle disintegrated while returning to Earth Feb. 1, 2003, killing the entire crew. UPI/Marino-Cantrell/File
1 of 12 | The space shuttle Columbia is poised for a launch on Jan. 16, 2003, carrying seven astronauts. The shuttle disintegrated while returning to Earth Feb. 1, 2003, killing the entire crew. UPI/Marino-Cantrell/File | License Photo

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2015 with 333 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn. Evening stars are Mars, Neptune, Uranus and Venus.

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Those born on the date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include: Composer Victor Herbert in 1859; Hattie Caraway of Arkansas, first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, in 1878; film director John Ford in 1894; National Hockey League executive Conn Smythe in 1895; actor Clark Gable in 1901; poet Langston Hughes in 1902; humorist S.J. Perelman in 1904; cabaret singer Hildegarde Loretta Sell in 1906; film and special effects director George Pal in 1908; actor Stuart Whitman in 1928 (age 87); former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1931; singer Don Everly in 1937; comedian Garrett Morris in 1937 (age 78); actor Sherman Hemsley in 1938; actor/director Terry Jones ("Monty Python's Flying Circus") in 1942 (age 73); journalist Fred Barnes in 1943 (age 72); journalist Jessica Savitch in 1947; singer Rick James in 1948; actor Billy Mumy in 1954 (age 61); Princess Stephanie of Monaco in 1965 (age 50); actor Sherilyn Fenn in 1965 (age 50); singer Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, in 1968 (age 47); actor Michael C. Hall in 1971 (age 44).

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On this date in history:

In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened in New York City for its first session.

In 1861, Texas seceded from the United States.

In 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

In 1896, Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme" premiered in Turin, Italy.

In 1946, Norwegian Trygve Lie was selected to be the first U.N. secretary-general.

In 1968, the communist Viet Cong began a major offensive in the Vietnam War with a fierce attack on the South Vietnamese city of Hue.

In 1991, South African President F.W. De Klerk announced he would seek repeal of key laws on which the apartheid system was based.

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during its descent over the southwestern United States. All seven astronauts aboard were killed.

In 2004, 251 people were trampled during the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

In 2006, Ben Bernanke became the U.S. Federal Reserve chief, replacing Alan Greenspan, who held the position for 18 years.

In 2009, Iceland swore in its first female prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir.

In 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, with hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding his departure after a reign of nearly 30 years, announced he wouldn't seek re-election.

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In 2012, at least 73 people were killed and 200 hurt in a fight between fans and players at a soccer match in Port Said, Egypt.

In 2013, John Kerry was sworn in as U.S. secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton.

In 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Syria's civil war "the most urgent security challenge in the world today." U.N. officials estimated more than 100,000 people had been killed since the conflict began in March 2011.


A thought for the day: "To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be 40 years old." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

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