On October 7, 2023, Palestinian terrorists launched coordinated air and ground attacks on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. The assault, carried out by Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., and many other countries, marked the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War. The brutality of the attacks shocked the world, leading to immediate Israeli counterattacks and escalating tensions in Gaza, further complicating the region’s long-standing conflict.
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In 1765, representatives from nine American colonies gathered in New York for the Stamp Act Congress. This meeting was one of the first formal, organized protests against British taxation policies, particularly the Stamp Act, which required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper from London. The congress marked a key moment in the growing unrest that eventually led to the American Revolution.
In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing with the introduction of the moving assembly line at his factory in Highland Park, Michigan. This innovation drastically reduced the time it took to assemble a car from 12 hours to just 90 minutes, making automobiles more affordable and setting the stage for modern mass production techniques that would shape industries worldwide.
In 1916, Georgia Tech delivered the most lopsided victory in college football history, defeating Cumberland University 222-0. This infamous game occurred when Cumberland, having disbanded its football program, still had to fulfill its obligation to play Georgia Tech, led by legendary coach John Heisman. The game remains a symbol of extreme mismatches in sports and led to discussions about the ethics of such one-sided competitions.
In 1985, Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship *Achille Lauro* in the Mediterranean Sea. The hijackers, members of the Palestine Liberation Front, sought to use hostages as leverage to negotiate the release of prisoners in Israel. During the standoff, they murdered Leon Klinghoffer, a Jewish-American tourist confined to a wheelchair, before surrendering on October 9. The event highlighted the growing threat of international terrorism during the 1980s.
In 1992, trade representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in San Antonio, Texas. This landmark agreement aimed to eliminate most tariffs and barriers to trade and investment between the three countries, creating one of the largest free-trade zones in the world. NAFTA transformed economic relations across North America, although it faced both praise for boosting economies and criticism for outsourcing jobs.
In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay college student, was brutally beaten and left tied to a fence in rural Wyoming in a hate crime that shocked the nation. He died from his injuries five days later. The murder became a watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S., eventually leading to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009.
In 2001, the United States and Britain launched air strikes against Taliban military positions and al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, marking the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. This military action, triggered by the September 11 attacks, sought to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power. The war became America’s longest-running conflict, with complex repercussions for both Afghanistan and international relations.
In 2003, Californians voted to recall Governor Gray Davis and elected actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger as their new governor. The recall was only the second in U.S. history and marked a dramatic shift in California’s political landscape. Schwarzenegger’s victory signaled the rise of celebrity politicians in the U.S., while the recall process itself became a subject of debate regarding its impact on governance and democracy.
Today in History: November 14
Today in History: November 14. On November 14, 1889, journalist Nellie Bly began an attempt to travel around the world in 80 days; she would successfully complete the journey in just over 72 days. In 1851, Herman Melville’s novel ‘Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale’ was published in the United States, almost a month after being released in Britain. In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military operation of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang.In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula became the NFL’s all-time winningest coach with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
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.
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