2000 – Florida Recount in Presidential Election
On November 8, 2000, the state of Florida initiated a recount process that would become pivotal in determining the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Discrepancies and irregularities in ballot counting drew national attention, ultimately leading to the U.S. Supreme Court’s intervention. The court’s decision on December 12 ended the recount, awarding Florida’s electoral votes—and consequently the presidency—to George W. Bush. This historic case highlighted the vulnerabilities in the electoral process and underscored the importance of election integrity.
1864 – Lincoln’s Reelection During the Civil War
In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was reelected on November 8, 1864, defeating Democratic challenger George B. McClellan. Lincoln’s victory reaffirmed the Union’s commitment to abolition and preserving the nation. His reelection paved the way for the eventual end of the war and the abolition of slavery, marking a significant turning point in American history.
1889 – Montana Joins the Union
On this date in 1889, Montana was admitted as the 41st state of the United States. Montana’s statehood represented the expansion of America’s frontier and opened vast western lands for settlement, mining, and agriculture. The addition of Montana also contributed to the diversity of the nation’s resources, as it became a major producer of coal, copper, and other natural resources crucial to industrial growth.
1923 – Hitler’s Failed Beer-Hall Putsch
In Munich on November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler launched an unsuccessful coup attempt, later known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.” The failed uprising led to Hitler’s arrest, but it also marked his emergence on the national stage. The event set the foundation for his later rise to power and was an early warning sign of the political extremism that would later engulf Germany and lead to World War II.
1942 – Operation Torch in World War II
On November 8, 1942, Allied forces, primarily American and British troops, launched Operation Torch, landing in French North Africa. This was a strategic offensive that opened a new front against Axis forces and marked the first major U.S. involvement in the European theater. The operation helped weaken Axis control in North Africa and strengthened the Allied position, contributing significantly to the broader strategy of the war.
1960 – John F. Kennedy Wins U.S. Presidential Election
In a closely contested election, John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon on November 8, 1960, becoming the youngest elected president in U.S. history. Kennedy’s victory signaled a generational shift in American politics and ushered in a period of optimism and progressive change. His administration would go on to address issues such as civil rights and space exploration, shaping America’s modern identity.
2013 – Typhoon Haiyan Devastates the Philippines
On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, becoming one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. The typhoon left a staggering death toll of over 7,300 and displaced millions, with entire villages reduced to rubble. Haiyan’s destruction drew global attention to the increasing severity of natural disasters and highlighted the urgent need for climate resilience in vulnerable regions.
Today in History: November 13
Today in History: November 13:On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal. In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fighters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city.
Today in History: November 12
Today in History: On November 12: 1954, Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party. In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic. In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest tropical cyclone on record claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000-500,000 people.
Today in History: November 11
Today in History: November 11: On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I ended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice aboard a railroad car in the Forest of Compiègne in northern France. In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, calling for a “civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.” In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding. In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final crewed flight of NASA’s Gemini program.
Today in History: November 10
Today in History: November 10: On Nov. 10, 1898, in Wilmington, North Carolina, a mob of as many as 2,000 white supremacists killed dozens of African Americans, burned Black-owned businesses and forced the mayor, police chief and aldermen to resign at gunpoint, before installing their own mayor and city council in what became known as the “Wilmington Coup.” Other events of November 10. In 1775, the United States Marine Corps was established when the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution to raise two battalions of Marines to support naval forces in the Revolutionary War. In 1954, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia. In 1969, the children’s educational program “Sesame Street” made its debut on National Educational Television. In 1975, the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank after being caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior; all 29 crew members were lost. In 2019, Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned after weeks of public protests in response to alleged election fraud in Bolivia’s general election the previous month.
  | Better Yourself, Lead Others 
| Personal Development Life Coach Certification 
|  
|
