Today in History

Today is Thursday, Nov. 3, the 307th day of 2011. There are 58 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 3, 1911, the Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. (The company was acquired by General Motors in 1918.)

On this date:

In 1839, the first Opium War between China and Britain broke out.

In 1900, the first major U.S. automobile show opened at New York's Madison Square Garden under the auspices of the Automobile Club of America.

In 1903, Panama proclaimed its independence from Colombia.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a landslide election victory over Republican challenger Alfred M. "Alf" Landon.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite, into orbit; on board was a dog named Laika who was sacrificed in the experiment.

In 1961, Burmese diplomat U Thant (oo thahnt) was appointed acting Secretary-General of the United Nations, following the death of Dag Hammarskjold. President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson soundly defeated Republican Barry Goldwater to win a White House term in his own right.

In 1970, Salvador Allende was inaugurated as president of Chile.

In 1979, five Communist Workers Party members were killed in a clash with heavily armed Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis during an anti-Klan protest in Greensboro, N.C.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair began to come to light as Ash-Shiraa, a pro-Syrian Lebanese magazine, first broke the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran.

Ten years ago: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow to discuss nuclear arsenal cuts, American plans for a missile defense system, and U.S.-Russian cooperation in the campaign against terror. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees 15-2 to tie up the World Series at three games apiece.

Five years ago: U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, who'd pleaded guilty in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation, resigned from Congress. French conductor Paul Mauriat, whose arrangement of "Love is Blue" topped U.S. charts in the 1960s, died in Perpignan, France, at age 81.

One year ago: President Barack Obama acknowledged that Democrats took "a shellacking" in midterm elections. The Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds over the next eight months in an attempt to boost lending and stimulate economy. Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin died in Moscow at age 72.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Lois Smith is 81. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis is 78. Actor-dancer Ken Berry is 78. Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally is 72. Actor Shadoe Stevens is 65. Singer Lulu is 63. Comedian-actress Roseanne Barr is 59. Actress Kate Capshaw is 58. Comedian Dennis Miller is 58. Actress Kathy Kinney is 58. Singer Adam Ant is 57. Actor Dolph Lundgren is 54. Rock musician C.J. Pierce (Drowning Pool) is 39. Olympic gold medal figure skater Evgeni Plushenko is 29. Actress Julie Berman (TV: "General Hospital") is 28.

Thought for Today: "Love is never merely an amiable tolerance of whatever form human frailty and folly may take." -- Josiah Royce, American philosopher (1855-1916).

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.