Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 8, the 313th day of 2016. There are 53 days left in the year. This is Election Day.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Nov. 8, 1966, Edward W. Brooke, R-Mass., became the first black candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. Republican Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, defeating Democratic incumbent Pat Brown. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure allowing the merger of the American Football League and the National Football League.

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 re-election as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

In 1889, Montana became the 41st state.

In 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."

In 1932, New York Democratic Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover for the presidency.

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 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency.

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 1986, former Soviet official Vyacheslav M. Molotov, whose name became attached to the incendiary bottle bomb known as a "Molotov cocktail," died at age 96.

In 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush won the presidential election, defeating the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

In 1994, midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush announced Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation; Bush chose former CIA Director Robert Gates to succeed him. Israeli shells killed 18 Palestinian civilians in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun during an attack targeting militants.

Five years ago: 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. Voters re-elected Kentucky's Democratic governor, Steve Beshear, and picked a new governor in Mississippi, Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. Bil Keane, 89, creator of the comic strip "Family Circus," died in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Rapper Heavy D, 44, died in Los Angeles.

One year ago: Myanmar's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party lost by a landslide in a general election to the National League for Democracy of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In his first public comments on the latest scandal rocking the Vatican, Pope Francis told followers in St. Peter's Square the theft of documents describing financial malfeasance inside the Holy See was a "crime" but pledged to continue reforms of its administration. An acoustic guitar that John Lennon used to record and write "Love Me Do," ''I Want to Hold Your Hand" and other hit songs sold for $2.4 million at auction in Beverly Hills, California.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Norman Lloyd is 102. Actress Stephane Audran is 84. Actor Alain Delon is 81. Singer-actress Bonnie Bramlett is 72. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 67. TV personality Mary Hart is 66. Former Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 64. Actress Alfre Woodard is 64. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 62. Author Kazuo Ishiguro is 62. Rock musician Porl Thompson (The Cure) is 59. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 55. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 50. Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith is 49. Actress Parker Posey is 48. Rock musician Jimmy Chaney is 47. Actress Roxana Zal is 47. Singer Diana King is 46. Actor Gonzalo Menendez is 45. Rock musician Scott Devendorf (The National) is 44. Actress Gretchen Mol is 43. ABC News anchor David Muir is 43. Actor Matthew Rhys is 42. Actress Tara Reid is 41. Country singer Bucky Covington is 39. Actress Dania Ramirez is 37. Actress Azura Skye is 35. Actor Chris Rankin is 33. TV personality Jack Osbourne is 31. Actress Jessica Lowndes is 28. Singer-actor Riker Lynch is 25. Country singer Lauren Alaina is 22.

Thought for Today: "Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve." -- Edward Albee, American playwright (1928-2016).