Barack Obama was elected as the first African American president of the United States
MajorObama defeated Republican John McCain in a historic election that drew record voter turnout. His victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park drew over 240,...
November 4 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2008
2003
Astronomers discovered Sedna, one of the most distant objects in our solar system, orbiting far beyond Pluto
This dwarf planet takes about 11,400 years to complete one orbit around the Sun, and at its farthest point is 937 astronomical units away (about 87 bi...
1995
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli extremist opposed to the Oslo Peace Accords
MajorRabin was shot at close range after attending a peace rally in Tel Aviv. His assassin, Yigal Amir, believed he was preventing the surrender of Jewish...
1991
Ronald Reagan's presidential library was dedicated in Simi Valley, California, with five U.S. presidents in attendance
The event marked the first time five presidents appeared together: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. Reagan, already showing early si...
1979
Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days
MajorThe Iran hostage crisis began when revolutionary students seized the embassy, demanding the return of the exiled Shah. The hostages weren't released u...
1970
The Cat in the Hat creator Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was awarded an honorary doctorate from Princeton University
The irony was delicious: Geisel had adopted the 'Dr.' title as a joke after dropping out of Oxford's doctoral program in the 1920s. Now Princeton made...
1966
The Arno River flooded Florence, Italy, destroying or damaging millions of art treasures and rare books
Water and oil reached heights of 20 feet in some areas, devastating the city's irreplaceable Renaissance artwork. Thousands of volunteers, dubbed 'mud...
1956
Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the Hungarian Revolution, killing thousands of protesters
MajorAfter Hungarians rose up against Soviet rule and briefly established a democratic government, Khrushchev ordered a massive military intervention. Over...
1946
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was founded in Paris
Created in the aftermath of World War II, UNESCO's constitution begins with the famous line: 'Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds...
1924
Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected governor of Wyoming, becoming the first female governor in U.S. history
Ross won a special election to complete her late husband's term, beating her opponent by over 8,000 votes. She served as governor from 1925 to 1927, a...
1890
The first electrified underground railway in the world opened in London between the City and Stockwell
The City & South London Railway was a marvel of Victorian engineering, running entirely on electric locomotives deep beneath the Thames. Passengers ca...
1884
Democrat Grover Cleveland won the presidency after Republicans chanted 'Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?' about his illegitimate child
Cleveland admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock and financially supporting the mother, while his opponent James Blaine faced corruption charges...
1842
Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois, despite canceling their wedding once before
The future president had broken off their engagement in 1841, but they reconciled and married at her sister's home. When asked where he was going on h...
1677
The future Mary II of England married her first cousin William of Orange in London, both of them great-grandchildren of William the Silent
Mary was just 15 and reportedly cried throughout the ceremony, though the marriage would later prove politically crucial. When her father James II was...