Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 2, the 307th day of 2016. There are 59 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 2, 1976, former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter became the first candidate from the Deep South since the Civil War to be elected president as he defeated incumbent Gerald R. Ford.

On this date:

In 1795, the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

In 1865, the 29th president of the United States, Warren Gamaliel Harding, was born near Marion, Ohio.

In 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states with the signing of proclamations by President Benjamin Harrison.

In 1914, during World War I, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

In 1936, the British Broadcasting Corp. inaugurated "high-definition" television service from Alexandra Palace in London.

In 1947, Howard Hughes piloted his huge wooden flying boat, the Hughes H-4 Hercules (derisively dubbed the "Spruce Goose" by detractors), on its only flight, which lasted about a minute over Long Beach Harbor in California.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman surprised the experts by winning a narrow upset over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey.

In 1950, playwright George Bernard Shaw, 94, died in Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, England.

In 1963, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dihn Diem was assassinated in a military coup.

In 1986, kidnappers in Lebanon released American hospital administrator David Jacobsen after holding him for 17 months.

In 1994, a jury in Pensacola, Florida, convicted Paul Hill of murder for the shotgun slayings of abortion provider Dr. John Britton and Britton's bodyguard; Hill was executed in Sept. 2003.

In 2000, an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts became the first residents of the international space station, christening it Alpha.

Ten years ago: The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a man said they'd had sexual trysts together (Haggard later confessed he was guilty of sexual immorality). Gunmen in Iraq killed the Shiite dean of Baghdad University's school of administration and economics.

Five years ago: The Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to some 19,000 Japanese-Americans who'd served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service.

One year ago: President Barack Obama toured a drug rehabilitation center and met with former inmates in Newark, New Jersey, where he called on the nation to ensure those regaining their freedom got a second chance instead of a return ticket to prison. NASA and its global partners celebrated the 15th anniversary of continuous residency at the International Space Station, where six U.S., Russian and Japanese crew members held a special dinner. Actor-writer Colin Welland, 81, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for "Chariots of Fire," died in London. Country singer Tommy Overstreet, 78, died in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Jay Black (Jay and the Americans) is 78. Political commentator Patrick Buchanan is 78. Actress Stefanie Powers is 74. Author Shere Hite is 74. Country-rock singer-songwriter J.D. Souther is 71. Actress Kate Linder is 69. Rock musician Carter Beauford (The Dave Matthews Band) is 59. Actor Peter Mullan is 57. Singer-songwriter k.d. lang is 55. Rock musician Bobby Dall (Poison) is 53. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage is 52. Actress Lauren Velez is 52. Actor Sean Kanan is 50. Actor David Schwimmer is 50. Christian/jazz singer Alvin Chea (Take 6) is 49. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is 49. Rock singer-musician Neal Casal is 48. Rock musician Fieldy is 47. Actress Meta Golding is 45. Rock singer-musician John Hampson (Nine Days) is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Timothy Christian Riley (Tony Toni Tone) is 42. Rapper Nelly is 42. Prodigy (Mobb Deep) is 42. Actor Danny Cooksey is 41. Rock musician Chris Walla is 41. Country singer Erika Jo is 30. Actor-singer Kendall Schmidt is 26.

Thought for Today: "Drop the question what tomorrow may bring, and count as profit every day that Fate allows you." -- Horace, Roman poet (65 B.C.-8 B.C.)