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    History in 1st Feb

  • Supreme Court convenes

    The United States Supreme Court meets for the first time at the Merchants Exchange building in New York City. However, due to transportation issues, the full court did not meet until the following day. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Jay, did not hear cases or issue rulings until the following years.

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  • Columbia disaster

    The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts and scattering debris across Texas and Louisiana. Columbia, performing its 28th NASA mission, lost a piece of insulation from its left wing, causing the wing to overheat. 

  • First Woolworth sit-ins in North Carolina

    Four African-American North Carolina A&T University students sit down at a Woolworth's lunch counter and, after being denied service, refuse to leave. These "sit-ins" spread across the Southeast, as students continued to fight segregation policies against African-Americans. On July 26, Woolworth's ended its company-wide segregation and served whites and blacks together.

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