Historical Events In February 1

Today is Saturday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2014. There are 333 days left in the year. On Feb. 1, 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro,
N.C., where they'd been refused service.

In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time in New York. (However, since only three of the six justices were present, the court recessed until the next day.)

In 1861, Texas voted to leave the Union at a Secession Convention in Austin.

In 1893, the opera "Manon Lescaut," by Giacomo Puccini (poo-CHEE'-nee), premiered in Turin, Italy.

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

In 1922, in one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries, movie director William Desmond Taylor was shot to death in his Los Angeles home; the killing has never been solved.

In 1942, the Voice of America broadcast its first program to Europe, relaying it through the facilities of the British Broadcasting Corp. in London.

In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its crew members.

Ten years ago: A stampede during the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Mina, Saudi Arabia, killed at least 251 worshippers. The New England Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three seasons with a 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers; during the halftime show, Janet Jackson's breast became exposed because of a "wardrobe malfunction" that prompted a $550,000 FCC fine against CBS. (The fine was later thrown out by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — twice.) Roger Federer beat Marat Safin 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2 to win the Australian Open.

Five years ago: Rafael Nadal held off Roger Federer to win the Australian Open, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2. Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged "bad judgment" after a photo in a British newspaper showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

One year ago: A suicide bomber struck the American Embassy in Ankara, killing a Turkish security guard. Hillary Rodham Clinton formally resigned as America's 67th secretary of state, capping a four-year tenure that saw her shatter records for the number of countries visited.