On This Day - What Happened On February 1 | Britannica

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1978 Homebrewing is legalized in the United States On this day in 1979, homebrewing was officially legalized. In October 1978 U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter signed HRT 1337, a relatively average transportation bill. Hidden within the bill, however, one amendment made homebrewing beer and wine legal, allowing hobbyists to brew 100 gallons of alcohol on an annual basis. The American craft beer revolution had been underway since the 1960s, and the legalization of homebrewing further spurred the movement along. Vibrant brewing festivals and competitions were established, and the American Homebrewers Association formed at the end of 1978. Read today's edition of Today in History > > © Edgar Hernandez/Dreamstime.com

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Boris Yeltsin president of Russia bornFebruary 1, 1931Soviet UniondiedApril 23, 2007 (aged 76)Moscow, RussiaVario Press—Camera Press/Globe Photos 1969 Andrew Breitbart American political Internet publisher 1969 Gabriel Batistuta Argentine soccer player 1931 Boris Yeltsin president of Russia 1901 Clark Gable American actor 1901 Langston Hughes American poet See All Biographies On This Day

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2023 Tom Brady announced that he was retiring from the NFL. Widely regarded as one of the game's best quarterbacks, he won a record seven Super Bowl titles. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about footballMike Ehrmann/Getty Images 2021 On the day Myanmar's parliament was set to meet, the military seized power in Myanmar in a coup d'état, ousting the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Test your knowledge of plots and revolutionsEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2013 Politician Ed Koch, who had served as mayor of New York City (1978–89), died at age 88. Koch was known for his brash manner of speaking and racially insensitive rhetoric, which led him to lose his fourth bid for reelection in 1989. How much do you know about New York City?U.S. Department of Defense/National Archives, Washington, D.C. 2009 Politician Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was sworn in as Iceland's prime minister, becoming the first woman to hold the post and the world's first openly gay head of government. Take our quiz about famous female firstsIcelandic Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security 2004 In what was perhaps the most controversial halftime show in Super Bowl history, pop singer Janet Jackson experienced a “wardrobe malfunction” when part of her bustier was ripped off by singer Justin Timberlake; some argued it was accidental while others said it was premeditated. Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quizChristopher Polk/Getty Images 2003 While returning to Earth from an orbital mission, the U.S. space shuttle Columbia broke up catastrophically at an altitude of about 40 miles (60 km) over Texas, killing all seven crew members. Learn about astronaut Kalpana ChawlaNASA 1979 The spacecraft Voyager 1 photographed Jupiter from a distance of 20.3 million miles (32.7 million km). Voyager 1, along with its companion Voyager 2, helped to document details about the gas giants and their moons. Learn more about the Voyager space probesPhoto NASA/JPL/Caltech (NASA photo # PIA00343) 1960 Protesting a segregated lunch counter at a Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina, four African Americans began a sit-in; its success led to a wider sit-in movement throughout the South. Learn about 10 milestones in U.S. civil rights historyAP/Shutterstock.com 1946 Politician and diplomat Trygve Lie was elected the first secretary-general of the United Nations. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world organizationsH. Roger-Viollet 1923 The private army of Blackshirts that had helped Benito Mussolini come to power in Italy was officially transformed into a national militia, the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security.H. Roger-Viollet 1902 Writer Langston Hughes, who had written riveting works about the Black experience in America, was born. Read more about influential poets in American historyLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1901 Motion-picture star Clark Gable, whose enormous popularity made him the “King of Hollywood,” was born in Cadiz, Ohio. He was known for starring in iconic films like Gone with the Wind (1936) and San Francisco (1936). Read about Gone with the Wind's controversial premiere© 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1896 Giacomo Puccini premiered his opera La Bohème at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Take our opera quizAlinari/Art Resource, New York 1884 The first of 10 volumes of The Oxford English Dictionary were published in London, the final volume being published April 19, 1928. Take our quiz about word meanings and origins© Oxford University Press 1820 In a battle fought at Cepeda, Argentina, federalist forces defeated unitarios, who were advocates of strong central government. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South AmericaEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1790 The first session of the Supreme Court of the United States was held in New York City. Watch an overview of the U.S. Supreme Court© Orhan Çam/stock.adobe.com SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.