November 8 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2016

Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in one of the biggest political upsets in American history

Major

Despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, Trump won the Electoral College 304-227. The result shocked pollsters and political analyst...

2011

An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier passed within 202,000 miles of Earth, closer than the Moon

Asteroid 2005 YU55 was the largest space rock to come that close to Earth since 1976. Scientists used the opportunity to study it with radar, discover...

2002

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, giving Iraq a final opportunity to comply with disarmament obligations

Major

The resolution found Iraq in "material breach" of previous UN resolutions and warned of "serious consequences" for continued violations. It set the st...

1965

The Great Northeast Blackout plunged 30 million people across eight U.S. states and Ontario into darkness

A small relay malfunction at Niagara Falls cascaded into the largest power failure in history at the time. People were trapped in elevators and subway...

1960

John F. Kennedy was elected the youngest person and first Catholic president of the United States

Major

At 43, Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in one of the closest elections in U.S. history, winning by just 118,000 votes. His televised debates with Nixon...

1950

The first recorded air-to-air combat between jet fighters occurred during the Korean War

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Russell Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15 while flying an F-80 Shooting Star. The brief dogfight marked the beginning of...

1942

Operation Torch began as Allied forces invaded North Africa in World War II

Major

Over 100,000 American and British troops landed in Morocco and Algeria in the first major Allied offensive in the war. It was the largest amphibious o...

1923

Adolf Hitler launched the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, attempting to overthrow the German government

Major

Hitler and 600 storm troopers burst into a beer hall where Bavarian officials were meeting, declaring a national revolution. The coup failed miserably...

1895

Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays while experimenting with cathode rays in his laboratory

Major

Röntgen noticed that a fluorescent screen across his lab glowed when he turned on his cathode ray tube, despite being covered in black cardboard. He s...

1889

Montana became the 41st U.S. state, admitted on the same day as Washington

President Benjamin Harrison signed the statehood proclamations for both Montana and Washington, but shuffled the papers so no one would know which sta...

1793

The Louvre Museum opened to the public in Paris during the French Revolution

The former royal palace displayed 537 paintings confiscated from the monarchy and church. It was initially only open three days a week. Today it's the...

1731

Benjamin Franklin opened the first subscription library in America

The Library Company of Philadelphia required members to pay 40 shillings initially, then 10 shillings annually to borrow books. Franklin got the idea...

1656

Edmond Halley, the astronomer who discovered Halley's Comet, was born in London

Though the comet had been observed for millennia, Halley was the first to calculate its orbit and predict it would return every 75-76 years. Ironicall...