Today in History

Today is Monday, Nov. 5, the 310th day of 2012. There are 56 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 5, 1912, Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected president, defeating Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt, incumbent Republican William Howard Taft and Socialist Eugene V. Debs.

On this date:

In 1605, the "Gunpowder Plot" failed as Guy Fawkes was seized before he could blow up the English Parliament.

In 1781, the Continental Congress elected John Hanson of Maryland its chairman, giving him the title of "President of the United States in Congress Assembled."

In 1872, suffragist Susan B. Anthony defied the law by attempting to cast a vote for President Ulysses S. Grant. (Anthony was convicted by a judge and fined $100, but she never paid the fine.)

In 1911, aviator Calbraith P. Rodgers arrived in Pasadena, Calif., completing the first transcontinental airplane trip in 49 days.

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term in office as he defeated Republican challenger Wendell L. Willkie.

In 1942, American showman George M. Cohan died in New York at age 64.

In 1968, Richard M. Nixon won the presidency, defeating Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and American Independent candidate George C. Wallace.

In 1974, Ella T. Grasso was elected governor of Connecticut, becoming the first woman to win a gubernatorial office without succeeding her husband.

In 1987, Supreme Court nominee Douglas H. Ginsburg admitted using marijuana several times in the 1960s and 70s, calling it a mistake. (Ginsburg ended up withdrawing his nomination.)

In 1990, Rabbi Meir Kahane, the Brooklyn-born Israeli extremist, was shot to death at a New York hotel. (Egyptian native El Sayyed Nosair was convicted of the slaying in federal court.)

In 1992, Malice Green, a black motorist, died after he was struck in the head 14 times with a flashlight by a Detroit police officer, Larry Nevers, outside a suspected crack house. (Nevers and his partner, Walter Budzyn, were found guilty of second-degree murder, but the convictions were overturned; they were later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.)

In 2009, a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas left 13 people dead; Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was charged with premeditated murder and attempted murder.

Ten years ago: In midterm elections, Republicans won control of the Senate and strengthened their hold on the House while claiming a majority of the governors' races. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Harvey Pitt resigned under pressure after a series of political missteps that had embarrassed the White House. Randy Johnson won his record-tying fourth straight National League Cy Young Award.

Five years ago: Hollywood writers went on strike, forcing late-night talk shows to immediately start airing reruns. Police in major Pakistani cities fired tear gas and clubbed lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey promised to "clean house" after a dorm matron was accused of abusing students at Winfrey's school for disadvantaged South African girls. Joe Torre was introduced as the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, less than three weeks after walking away from the New York Yankees.

One year ago: Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, accused of molesting eight boys, was arrested and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. (Sandusky was later convicted and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for sexual abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Chris Robinson is 74. Actress Elke Sommer is 72. Singer Art Garfunkel is 71. Actor-playwright Sam Shepard is 69. Singer Peter Noone is 65. Actor Nestor Serrano ("24") is 57. Actress-comedian Mo Gaffney is 54. Actor Robert Patrick is 54. Singer Bryan Adams is 53. Actress Tilda Swinton is 52. Actor Michael Gaston is 50. Actress Tatum O'Neal is 49. Actress Andrea McArdle is 49. Rock singer Angelo Moore (Fishbone) is 47. Actress Judy Reyes is 45. Rock musician Mark Hunter (James) is 44. Actor Sam Rockwell is 44. Country singers Heather and Jennifer Kinley (The Kinleys) are 42. Actor Corin Nemec is 41. Rock musician Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) is 41. Country singer-musician Ryan Adams is 38. Actor Sam Page is 36. Actor Jeremy Lelliott is 30. Rock musician Kevin Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 25.

Thought for Today: "Examine what is said, not him who speaks." -- Arab proverb.

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.