Today Is November 8th 2007

Today is Thursday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2007. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power with a failed coup in Munich, Germany, that came to be known as the "Beer-Hall Putsch."

On this date:

In 1837, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, a college exclusively for women, opened in South Hadley, Mass.

In 1889, Montana became the 41st state.

In 1932, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Herbert Hoover for the presidency.

In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Civil Works Administration, designed to create jobs for more than 4 million unemployed.

In 1942, Operation Torch, resulting in an Allied victory, began during World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency.

In 1966, Republican candidate Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, defeating Democratic incumbent Pat Brown.

In 1966, Edward W. Brooke, R-Mass., became the first black candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote.

In 1987, 11 people were killed when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded as crowds gathered in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, for a ceremony honoring Britain's war dead.

In 1988, Vice President George Bush won the presidential election, defeating Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Ten years ago: Chinese engineers diverted the Yangtze River to make way for the Three Gorges Dam, the most ambitious construction project in modern China's history. Evander Holyfield won the IBF heavyweight title in a fierce fight against Michael Moorer in Las Vegas.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, which gave weapons inspectors the muscle they needed to hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq. President Bush said the new resolution presented the Iraqi regime "with a final test."

One year ago: After years of defending his secretary of defense, President Bush announced Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation following the Democrats' triumph in congressional elections; Bush chose former CIA Director Robert Gates to succeed him. Israeli shells killed 18 Palestinian civilians in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun during an attack targeting militants.

Today's Birthdays: Actress June Havoc is 95. Actor Norman Lloyd is 93. Jazz singer Chris Connor is 80. Singer Patti Page is 80. CBS newsman Morley Safer is 76. Singer-actress Bonnie Bramlett is 63. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 58. TV personality Mary Hart is 57. Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 55. Actress Alfre Woodard is 54. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 53. Rock musician Porl Thompson (The Cure) is 50. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 46. Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith is 40. Actress Parker Posey is 39. Rock musician Jimmy Chaney is 38. Actress Roxana Zal is 38. Singer Diana King is 37. Actress Gretchen Mol is 34. Actress Tara Reid is 32. Country singer/former "American Idol" contestant Bucky Covington is 30. Actress Azura Skye is 26. Actor Chris Rankin is 24. TV personality Jack Osbourne ("The Osbournes") is 22.

Thought for Today: "Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling." — Margaret Lee Runbeck, American author (1905-1956).

Sphere: Related Content