Updated January 31, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Feb. 1, 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they’d been refused service.
On Feb. 1, 1902, Langston Hughes, the American poet and prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance , was born. Following his death on May 22 , 1967, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1861 Texas voted to secede from the Union. 1862 “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a poem by Julia Ward Howe, was published in the Atlantic Monthly. 1896 Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” premiered in Turin, Italy. 1920 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was established. 1946 Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations. 1960 Four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they’d been refused service. 1968 During the Vietnam War, Saigon’s police chief, Nguyen Ngoc Loan, executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head. 1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile. 1982 “Late Night with David Letterman” premiered on NBC. 1999 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave a deposition that was videotaped for senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton. 2004 Singer Janet Jackson’s breast was briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show. Timberlake later referred to the incident as a “wardrobe malfunction.” 2009 The Pittsburgh Steelers won their record sixth Super Bowl with a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. 2011 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not run for a new term but rejected protesters’ demands he step down immediately. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., turns 68 years old today.
AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Reality TV personality Lauren Conrad (“The Hills”) turns 26 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1937 Don Everly, Singer, turns 75 1937 Garrett Morris, Actor, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 75 1938 Sherman Hemsley, Actor (“The Jeffersons”), turns 74 1941 Joy Philbin, TV personality, turns 71 1942 Terry Jones, Actor, writer (Monty Python), turns 70 1954 Bill Mumy, Actor, writer (“Lost in Space”), turns 58 1964 Linus Roache, Actor (“Law and Order”), turns 48 1965 Princess Stephanie, Member of Monaco’s royal family, turns 47 1965 Sherilyn Fenn, Actress, turns 47 1968 Lisa Marie Presley, Rock singer, daughter of Elvis Presley, turns 44 1968 Pauly Shore, Actor, comedian, turns 44 1971 Michael C. Hall, Actor (“Dexter”), turns 41 1975 Big Boi, Rapper (Outkast), turns 37
Historic Birthdays
Langston Hughes 2/1/1902 – 5/22/1967 American poet and writer.Go to obituary »
82 Sir Edward Coke 2/1/1552 – 9/3/1634
English jurist and politician66 John Philip Kemble 2/1/1757 – 2/26/1823
English Shakespearean actor and theater manager47 Thomas Cole 2/1/1801 – 2/11/1848
American painter56 Joseph Keppler 2/1/1838 – 2/19/1894
Austria bn. American caricaturist and magazine founder80 Stanley Granville Hall 2/1/1844 – 4/24/1924
American psychologist65 Victor Herbert 2/1/1859 – 5/26/1924
American composer72 Hattie O. Caraway 2/1/1878 – 12/21/1950
First female U.S. senator78 John Ford 2/1/1895 – 8/31/1973
American motion picture director59 Clark Gable 2/1/1901 – 11/16/1960
American film actor75 S.J. Perelman 2/1/1904 – 10/17/1979
American humorist84 Emilio Segre 2/1/1905 – 4/22/1989
Italian-bn. American physicist
