On this day

February 1, 1958

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from February 1, 1958

Meyner Is Critical Of Administration; MEYNER ASSAILS AMATEUR LEADERS

By George Cable Wrightspecial To the New York Times

Gov Meyner news conf at Natl Press Club seen major bid for Dem Pres or VP nomination; he 'demurs' on whether he seeks either

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JUPITER-C IS USED; Roars Up in Florida Tense 15 3/4 Seconds After It Is Fired Jupiter-C Rocket Bearing Nation's First Satellite Is Launched by Army in Florida DEVICE GOES UP WITH GREAT ROAR Weight of 80-Inch Satellite Is 30.8 Pounds -- Rocket's Final Stage Is 12.67

By Milton Brackerspecial To the New York Times

Town, site of US Army Ballistic Missile Agency, celebrates launching of 1st US earth satellite

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U.S. Satellite Heard Here and on Coast; SATELLITE SIGNAL HEARD ON COAST

By Robert Alden

Pres Eisenhower announces feat, Augusta, Ga; pledges prompt pub of data obtained; text; press sec Hagerty explains how Pres was informed of launching, news conf; signals 1st reed in Cahf; recd at E Coast stations before Explorer reached orbit; NY Times radio room among receiving ' stations; signal is steady, at times undulating hum; Natl Sciences Acad repts signal good, valuable data being transmitted; Moonwatch teams alerted; speculation on possible siqhtings

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Blue Cross Rate Rise Is Rejected by State; BLUE CROSS LOSES RATE RISE APPEAL

By Unknown Author

NYS Ins Supt Holz rejects request for 40% rate rise; asks monthly rept on surplus funds; will consider new request; Blue Cross chmn Garside comments; rate chart

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SATELLITE TAKES 114-MINUTE ORBIT; Scientists Estimate Speed at 18,000 Miles an Hour -- 'Exotic' Fuel Used U. S. Satellite Circling Earth in Orbit With a Peak Altitude of About 2,000 Miles EXCEEDS HEIGHTS OF SOVIET DEVICES Preliminary Estimates Show Projectile Is Moving About 18,000 Miles an Hour

By John W. Finneyspecial To the New York Times

Announces launching of 1st US earth satellite, 'Explorer,' by US Army; text

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Notable Births

1958Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager^[†]

Luther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager who played for the England national team during the 1980s. Born in Jamaica, Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division. As of 2022, Blissett holds Watford's all-time records for appearances and goals, having played 503 games and scored 186 goals.

1958Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland^[†]

Eleanor Fulton Laing, Baroness Laing of Elderslie,, is a British Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Epping Forest from 1997 to 2024. She served in the shadow cabinets of Michael Howard and David Cameron. From 2013 to 2024, Laing was a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and was the first female Chairman of Ways and Means from 2020 to 2024. She had one of the longest tenures in the speaker's chair. She became a member of the House of Lords in 2024.

Notable Deaths

1958Clinton Davisson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)^[†]

Clinton Joseph Davisson was an American physicist who shared the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics with George Paget Thomson "for their experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals".

Historical Context for February 1, 1958

In 1958, the world population was approximately 2,911,249,671 people^[†]