Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2023. There are 53 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Nov. 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”
On this date:
In 1793, the Louvre began admitting the public, even though the French museum had been officially open since August.
In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.
In 1889, Montana became the 41st state.
In 1935, the movies “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, and “A Night at the Opera,” starring the Marx Brothers, premiered in New York.
In 1942, Operation Torch, resulting in an Allied victory, began during World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.
In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.
In 1966, Republican Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, defeating Democratic incumbent Pat Brown.
In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.
In 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Earlier that day, Vice President Al Gore had telephoned Texas Gov. George W. Bush to concede, but called back about an hour later to retract his concession.
In 2002, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, aimed at forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences.” President George W. Bush said the new resolution presented the Iraqi regime “with a final test.”
In 2011, an asteroid as big as an aircraft carrier zipped by Earth in the closest encounter by such a massive space rock in more than three decades.
In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening villages and displacing more than 5 million.
In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice.
In 2017, director Ridley Scott decided to cut Kevin Spacey out of the already-completed movie “All the Money in the World” because of the sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey and reshoot his many scenes using Christopher Plummer, just six weeks ahead of the film’s release date.
In 2018, tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever, killing 86 people and nearly destroying the community of Paradise.
In 2022, in the midterm elections, Republicans gained a narrow majority in the House, while Democrats managed to maintain control of the Senate.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Alain Delon is 88. Singer-actor Bonnie Bramlett is 79. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 74. TV personality Mary Hart is 73. Former Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 71. Actor Alfre Woodard is 71. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 69. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 69. Rock musician Pearl Thompson (The Cure) is 66. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 62. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 57. Actor Courtney Thorne-Smith is 56. Actor Parker Posey is 55. Actor Roxana Zal is 54. Singer Diana King is 53. Actor Gonzalo Menendez is 52. Rock musician Scott Devendorf (The National) is 51. Actor Gretchen Mol is 51. ABC News anchor David Muir is 50. Actor Matthew Rhys is 49. Actor Tara Reid is 48. Country singer Bucky Covington is 46. Actor Dania Ramirez is 44. Actor Azura Skye is 42. Actor Chris Rankin is 40. TV personality Jack Osbourne is 38. Actor Jessica Lowndes is 35. R&B singer SZA is 34. New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is 34. Singer-actor Riker Lynch is 32. Country singer Lauren Alaina is 29. Actor Van Crosby (TV: “Splitting Up Together”) is 21.
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