Associated Press
On Nov. 3, 1868, Republican Ulysses S. Grant won the presidential election over Democrat Horatio Seymour.
1839- The first Opium War between China and Britain broke out.
1903- Panama proclaimed its independence from Colombia.
1908- Republican William Howard Taft was elected president, outpolling William Jennings Bryan.
1911- The Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.
1936- President Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected in a landslide over Republican Alfred M. “Alf” Landon.
1957- The Soviet Union launched into orbit Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite; a dog on board named Laika was sacrificed in the experiment.
1964- President Lyndon B. Johnson soundly defeated Republican challenger Barry Goldwater to win a White House term in his own right.
1970- Salvador Allende was inaugurated as president of Chile.
1986- A Lebanese magazine broke the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran, a revelation that escalated into the Iran-Contra affair.
1992- Democrat Bill Clinton was elected the 42nd president of the United States, defeating President George H.W. Bush.
1992- Illinois Democrat Carol Moseley-Braun became the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
1994- Susan Smith of Union, S.C., was arrested for drowning her two young sons, nine days after claiming the children had been abducted by a black man. (Smith is serving life in prison.)
2004- Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of Afghanistan’s first-ever presidential election.
2005- Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, pleaded not guilty to a five-count felony indictment in the CIA leak case. (Libby was convicted, but President George W. Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence.)
2009- Maine residents narrowly voted down a same-sex marriage law.
2010- The Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds over the next eight months in an attempt to boost lending and stimulate economy.
Today’s Birthdays:
Fashion editor Anna Wintour turns 66 years old today.
Lois Smith Actress 85
Ken Berry Actor, dancer 82
Michael Dukakis Former governor of Massachusetts 82
Roy Emerson Tennis Hall of Famer 79
Shadoe Stevens Actor 69
Lulu Singer, actress (“To Sir, With Love”) 67
Roseanne Barr Actress, comedian (“Roseanne”) 63
Kathy Kinney Actress (“The Drew Carey Show”) 62
Dennis Miller Comedian (“Saturday Night Live”) 62
Adam Ant Rock singer 61
Dolph Lundgren Actor 58
Evgeni Plushenko Figure skater 33
Actress Kate Capshaw turns 62 years old today.