Feb. 1, 1865 - The 13th Amendment to theU.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, was adopted by the 38th Congress.
Feb. 1, 1902 - Langston Hughes, a famous poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist was born this day in Joplin, Mo.
He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. He famously wrote about the period that "the negro was in vogue", which was later paraphrased as "when Harlem was in vogue".
Feb. 1, 1926 - What is now known as BlackHistory Month was first celebrated on this date as Negro History Week by Carter G.Woodson . It became a month long celebration in 1976.