TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Monday, Nov. 4, the 308th day of 2019. There are 57 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Nov. 4, 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan won the White House as he defeated President Jimmy Carter by a strong margin.
On this date:
■ In 1862, inventor Richard J. Gatling received a U.S. patent for his rapid-fire Gatling gun.
■ In 1916, CBS newsman Walter Cronkite was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri.
■ In 1955, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young died in Newcomerstown, Ohio, at age 88.
■ In 1956, Soviet troops moved in to crush the Hungarian Revolution.
■ In 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began as militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants; for some of them, it was the start of 444 days of captivity.
■ In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli minutes after attending a festive peace rally.
■ In 2007, King Tutankhamen’s face was unveiled for the first time to the public more than 3,000 years after the pharaoh was buried in his Egyptian tomb.
Ten years ago: An Italian judge convicted 23 Americans in absentia along with two Italians in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, delivering the first legal convictions anywhere in the world against people involved in the CIA’s extraordinary renditions program. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was released after serving most of a 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal.
Five years ago: Riding a powerful wave of voter discontent, resurgent Republicans captured control of the Senate and tightened their grip on the House during the 2014 elections.
One year ago: The Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” collected $50 million in weekend ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada on its opening weekend, beating expectations.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Loretta Swit is 82. Rhythmand-blues singer Harry Elston (Friends of Distinction) is 81. Blues singer Delbert McClinton is 79. Former first lady Laura Bush is 73. Actress Markie Post is 69. Actress-comedian Kathy Griffin is 59. Actor Ralph Macchio is 58. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst is 58. Saxophonist Tim Burton is 56. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 50. Rapper-producer Sean “Puffy” Combs is 50. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is 44. Actress Emme Rylan is 39. Actor Chris Greene (Film: “Loving”) is 37.
Thought for Today: “A boy becomes an adult three years before his parents think he does, and about two years after he thinks he does.” — Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, Selective Service director (1893-1977).