History Today: When the world lost Kalpana Chawla in the Columbia disaster

Twenty-two years ago today, Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and six other astronauts lost their lives when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

On this day in 1865, US President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress, forwarding the proposed Thirteenth Amendment to state legislatures for ratification.

For those interested in history, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series, History Today , offers a detailed look at key historical moments.

What else happened on this day? The Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show became infamous due to an incident involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, commonly known as “Nipplegate.”

Let’s take a look:

The death of Kalpana Chawla, 6 other astronauts

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board, including Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla .

The disaster occurred after a piece of fuel-tank foam detached during liftoff 16 days earlier, striking and damaging the shuttle’s left wing. Columbia broke apart over Texas, just 16 minutes before its scheduled landing in Florida.

Columbia’s final crew included commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, and mission specialists Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Chawla.

Kalpana Chawla was a trailblazing astronaut and aerospace engineer, recognised as the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space. She first flew aboard Columbia in 1997 and returned for a second mission on STS-107.

Born in Karnal, Haryana, Chawla moved to the United States in the 1980s for further studies after earning a degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College.

In honour of her contributions and legacy, she has been posthumously awarded several accolades, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Abraham Lincoln approves 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery

On February 1, 1865, US President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress that submitted the proposed Thirteenth Amendment to state legislatures, marking a defining moment in American history.

The amendment sought to abolish slavery across the United States, ensuring a constitutional guarantee that slavery and involuntary servitude would no longer exist, except as punishment for a crime.

This decision came after Lincoln’s earlier Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, which declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate-controlled areas but did not put an end to slavery nationwide.

On January 31, 1865, the House of Representatives voted in favour of the 13th Amendment. Although his signature was not required, Lincoln signed the document as a symbolic endorsement before it was sent to the states for ratification.

Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl ‘Nipplegate’ controversy

On February 1, 2004, the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII became infamous due to the incident involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, which came to be known as “Nipplegate.”

During their performance of Timberlake’s hit “Rock Your Body,” Timberlake was supposed to tear off Jackson’s top at the lyric “Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song,” revealing a red bustier underneath.

However, the estimated 100 million viewers, along with the audience at the Super Bowl, were shocked when Jackson’s bare breast flashed on the screen, with what seemed to be a nipple piercing visible. She attempted to cover herself, but the damage had already been done.

The Federal Communications Commission received hundreds of thousands of complaints, CBS (the network that aired the Super Bowl) was fined, and Jackson’s career took a hit.

Both pop stars were accused of staging the event for publicity, an allegation that both Jackson and Timberlake denied.

Though both artists apologised for the incident, Timberlake faced criticism for seemingly distancing himself from Jackson after the mishap, particularly given his career, which was often shaped by appropriating Black culture, especially with his R&B music.

For years, #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay trended every Super Bowl Sunday, led by Jackson’s supporters seeking “Justice for Janet.”

This Day, That Year

1865: John S. Rock became the first African American lawyer to be admitted to the bar of the US Supreme Court.

1881: St. Stephen’s College, a prestigious institution in Delhi, was founded.

1884: The first segment of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was published in the United States.

1949: The ‘Press Trust of India’ took control of the ‘Associated Press of India.’

1979: Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Tehran after nearly 15 years in exile and was greeted by millions.

2002: Nine days after he was kidnapped, Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl was killed by Islamist militants in Pakistan.

2016: The World Health Organization declared a global emergency due to the rapid spread of the Zika virus, which was associated with birth defects in the Americas.

2021: Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s political leader, was detained in a military coup, and a state of emergency was declared in the country.