Today in History

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2015. There are 333 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 1, 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began the Carolinas Campaign as they invaded South Carolina. Abolitionist John S. Rock became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.

On this date:

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 1896, Giacomo 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 1943, one of America's most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost exclusively of Japanese-Americans, was authorized.

In 1946, Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they'd been refused service.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, South Vietnam's police chief (Nguyen Ngoc Loan) executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head. Richard M. Nixon announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.

In 1988, actress Heather O'Rourke, who'd co-starred in the 1982 movie "Poltergeist," died in San Diego at age 12.

In 1995, British rock performer Richey Edwards, 27, disappeared after last being seen in London; his fate has never been determined.

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

Ten years ago: Pope John Paul II was hospitalized for breathing problems and the flu. Character actor John Vernon, who'd played nasty Dean Wormer in "National Lampoon's Animal House," died in Los Angeles at age 72.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama unveiled a multitrillion-dollar spending plan, pledging an intensified effort to combat high unemployment and asking Congress to quickly approve new job-creation efforts that would boost the deficit to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion. Movie producer David Brown ("Jaws"; "Cocoon"; "A Few Good Men"), 93, died in New York.

One year ago: The United Nations' secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, pressed the U.S. and Russia to help ensure that peace talks aimed at stemming Syria's civil war would resume soon after a week of peace talks ended in Geneva with no concrete progress. Ray Guy became the first punter elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; joining the long-time Oakland Raider were two first-time eligible players, linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive tackle Walter Jones, as well as defensive end Michael Strahan, receiver Andre Reed, defensive back Aeneas Williams and defensive end Claude Humphrey. Peyton Manning won his fifth Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide. Academy Award-winning actor Maximillian Schell, 83, died in Innsbruck, Austria.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Stuart Whitman is 87. Folk singer Bob Shane (The Kingston Trio) is 81. Singer Don Everly is 78. Actor Garrett Morris is 78. Singer Ray Sawyer (Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show) is 78. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 76. TV personality-singer Joy Philbin is 74. Comedian-actor-director Terry Jones is 73. Political commentator Fred Barnes is 72. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is 71. Opera singer Carol Neblett is 69. Rock musician Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 65. Blues singer-musician Sonny Landreth is 64. Actor-writer-producer Bill Mumy is 61. Rock singer Exene Cervenka is 59. Actor Linus Roache is 51. Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 50. Country musician Dwayne Dupuy (Ricochet) is 50. Actress Sherilyn Fenn is 50. Lisa Marie Presley is 47. Comedian-actor Pauly Shore is 47. Actor Brian Krause is 46. Jazz musician Joshua Redman is 46. Rock musician Patrick Wilson (Weezer) is 46. Actor Michael C. Hall is 44. Rock musician Ron Welty is 44. Rapper Big Boi (Outkast) is 40. Roots rocker Jason Isbell is 36. Country singer Julie Roberts is 36. Actor Jarrett Lennon is 33. Rock singer-musician Andrew VanWyngarden is 32. TV personality Lauren Conrad is 29. Actress-singer Heather Morris (TV: "Glee") is 28. Actress and martial arts champion Ronda Rousey is 28. Rock singer Harry Styles (One Direction) is 21.

Thought for Today: "To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius." -- Joyce Cary, Anglo-Irish author (1888-1957).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.