November 2
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November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 59 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 676 - Donus became Pope.
- 1675 - A combined attack by the Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut colonies attacks the Great Swamp Fort, owned by the Narragansetts during King Philip's War.
- 1772 - American Revolutionary War: Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren form the first Committee of Correspondence.
- 1783 - In Rocky Hill, New Jersey, US General George Washington gives his "Farewell Address to the Army".
- 1795 - The French Directory succeeds the French National Convention as the government of Revolutionary France.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Western Department Union General John C. Fremont is relieved of command and replaced by David Hunter.
- 1868 - Time zone: New Zealand officially adopts a standard time to be observed nationally
- 1889 - North and South Dakota are admitted as the 39th and 40th U.S. states.
- 1895 - The first gasoline-powered race in the United States. First prize: $2,000
- 1899 - The Boers started their 118 day siege of British held Ladysmith during the Second Boer War.
- 1909 - Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity is founded at Boston University.
- 1914 - Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
- 1917 - The Balfour Declaration proclaims support for Jewish settlement in Palestine.
- 1920 - In the United States, KDKA of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starts broadcasting as the first commercial radio station. The first broadcast was the results of the U.S. presidential election, 1920.
- 1930 - Haile Selassie is crowned emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1936 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is established.
- 1936 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaims the Rome-Berlin Axis, establishing the alliance of the Axis Powers.
- 1936 - the British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, high-definition (then defined as at least 200 lines) service. Renamed BBC1 in 1964, the channel still runs to this day.
- 1947 - In California, Designer Howard Hughes performs the maiden (and only) flight of the Spruce Goose; the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built.
- 1948 - U.S. presidential election, 1948: Harry S. Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey for the US presidency.
- 1953 - The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan names the country The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- 1957 - The Levelland UFO Case in Levelland, Texas, generates national publicity, and remains one of the most impressive UFO cases in American history.
- 1959 - Quiz show scandals: Twenty One game show contestant Charles Van Doren admits to a Congressional committee that he had been given questions and answers in advance.
- 1959 - Ice Hockey: After being struck in the face with a puck, goalkeeper Jacques Plante returns to play wearing a protective mask for the first time in professional play.
- 1959 - The first section of the M1 motorway, the first inter-urban motorway in the United Kingdom, was opened between the present junctions 5 and 18, along with the M10 motorway and M45 motorway
- 1960 - Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case
- 1963 - South Vietnamese President Ngô Ðìhn Diệm is assassinated following a military coup.
- 1964 - King Saud of Saudi Arabia was deposed by a family coup, and replaced by his half-brother King Faisal.
- 1965 - Norman Morrison, a 31-year-old Quaker, sets himself on fire in front of the river entrance to the Pentagon to protest the use of napalm in the Vietnam war.
- 1966 - The Cuban Adjustment Act enters force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the United States.
- 1967 - Vietnam War: US President Lyndon B. Johnson and "The Wise Men" conclude that the American people should be given more optimistic reports on the progress of the war.
- 1973 - The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India forms a 'United Front' in the state of Tripura.
- 1974 - 78 die when the Time Go-Go Club in Seoul, South Korea burns down. Six of the victims jumped to their deaths from the seventh floor after a club official barred the doors after the fire started.
- 1976 - U.S. presidential election, 1976: Jimmy Carter defeats Gerald R. Ford for the US presidency, becoming the first U.S. president from the Deep South since Reconstruction.
- 1981 - Antigua and Barbuda become independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1982 - Channel 4 in the United Kingdom was launched.
- 1983 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs a bill creating Martin Luther King Day, currently the only national holiday honoring an individual American.
- 1984 - Capital punishment: Velma Barfield becomes the first woman executed in the United States since 1962.
- 1988 - The Morris worm, the first internet-distributed computer worm to gain significant mainstream media attention, was launched from MIT.
- 1991 - Bartholomew I becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
- 1995 - Former South African defence minister General Magnus Malan and 10 other former senior military officers are arrested and charged with murdering 13 black people in 1987, (all the accused are later acquitted).
- 2000 - The first crew arrives at the International Space Station.
- 2004 - U.S. presidential election, 2004: George W. Bush defeats John Kerry for the US presidency.
Births
- 1082 - Emperor Huizong of China (d. 1135)
- 1636 - Edward Colston, English merchant and philanthropist (d. 1721)
- 1667 - James Sobieski, Crown Prince of Poland (d. 1737)
- 1692 - Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Dutch composer (d. 1766)
- 1696 - Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania's ambassador to the Native Americans (d. 1760)
- 1699 - Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (d. 1779)
- 1709 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (d. 1759)
- 1734 - Daniel Boone, American frontiersman (d. 1820)
- 1739 - Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Austrian composer (d. 1799)
- 1741 - Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, Dutch politician (d. 1784)
- 1755 - Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (d. 1793)
- 1766 - Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (d. 1858)
- 1777 - Fortunat Alojzy Gonzaga Żółkowski, Polish actor (d. 1822)
- 1795 - James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States (d. 1849)
- 1808 - Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, French writer (d. 1889)
- 1815 - George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1864)
- 1821 - Sir George Bowen, British provincial governor (d. 1899)
- 1837 - Émile Bayard, French artist, illustrator (d. (1891)
- 1844 - Mehmed V, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1918)
- 1865 - Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States (d. 1923)
- 1877 - Joseph De Piro, Maltese founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (d. 1933)
- 1877 - Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer (d. 1915)
- 1877 - Aga Khan III, Shia Imam (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, cardinal and archbishop of Quebec (d. 1947)
- 1885 - Harlow Shapley, American astronomer (d. 1972)
- 1886 - Dhirendranath Datta, Bangladeshi politician (d. 1971)
- 1893 - Battista Pininfarina, founder of Pininfarina company (d.1966)
- 1894 - Alexander Lippisch, German scientist (d. 1976)
- 1903 - Travis Jackson, baseball player (d. 1987)
- 1905 - James Dunn, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1906 - Daniil Andreev, Russian poet (d. 1959)
- 1906 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (d. 1976)
- 1908 - Fred Bakewell, English cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1910 - Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (d. 1999)
- 1911 - Odysseus Elytis, Greek writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Raphael Robinson, US mathematician (d. 1995)
- 1913 - Burt Lancaster, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Johnny Vander Meer, baseball player (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Sidney Luft, American movie director (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Ann Rutherford, American actress
- 1921 - Shepard Menken, American voice actor (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Bill Mosienko, National Hockey League player (d. 1994)
- 1924 - Father David Bauer, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
- 1927 - Steve Ditko, American artist
- 1929 - Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, President of Pakistan
- 1929 - Richard E. Taylor, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1934 - Bill Gothard, American speaker
- 1934 - Ken Rosewall, Australian tennis player
- 1936 - Jack Starrett, American actor and director (d. 1989)
- 1936 - Abdullah the Butcher, wrestler
- 1937 - Earl Carroll, lead vocalist of The Cadillacs
- 1938 - Pat Buchanan, American journalist and politician
- 1938 - Queen Sofia of Spain
- 1938 - Jay Black, American singer (Jay and the Americans)
- 1940 - Jim Bakken, American football player
- 1941 - Bruce Welch, English musician and songwriter (The Shadows)
- 1942 - Shere Hite, American author
- 1942 - Stefanie Powers, American actress
- 1944 - Keith Emerson, British keyboardist and composer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
- 1944 - Patrice Chéreau, French director, actor and producer
- 1946 - Alan Jones, Australian race car driver
- 1946 - Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Simon Augustini, Albanian politician
- 1951 - Thomas Mallon, American novelist and critic
- 1952 - Maxine Nightingale, English singer
- 1954 - Pat Croce, American entrepreneur
- 1955 - Chris Burnett, American musician
- 1957 - Carter Beauford, drummer for Dave Matthews Band
- 1958 - Willie McGee, baseball player
- 1960 - Tihomir Blaškić, Croatian war criminal
- 1961 - Twan, L.A. Burning Man Regional Director
- 1961 - k.d. lang, Canadian musician
- 1962 - Mireille Delunsch, French soprano
- 1963 - Craig Saavedra, American filmmaker
- 1964 - Britta Lejon, Swedish politician
- 1965 - Shahrukh Khan, Indian actor
- 1966 - Tim Kirkman, American filmmaker
- 1966 - David Schwimmer, American actor
- 1967 - Kurt Elling, American jazz vocalist
- 1967 - Marc van Roon, Dutch improvising musician
- 1968 - Ultra Naté, American musician
- 1969 - Reginald Arvizu, American bassist (KoЯn)
- 1970 - Sharmell Sullivan, American professional wrestling valet
- 1972 - Samantha Janus, British entertainer
- 1972 - Darío Silva, Uruguayan footballer
- 1972 - Vladimir Vorobiev, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Marisol Nichols, American actress
- 1974 - Prodigy, American rapper (Mobb Deep)
- 1974 - Orlando Cabrera, baseball player
- 1974 - Stéphane Sarrazin, French rally driver
- 1975 - Nelly, American rapper (St. Lunatics)
- 1976 - Sidney Ponson, Aruban baseball player
- 1977 - Randy Harrison, American actor
- 1977 - Jason Cerbone, American actor (The Sopranos)
- 1978 - Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Brazilian mixed-martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion
- 1979 - Julie Lund, Danish actress
- 1980 - Kim So-yeon, South Korean actress
- 1981 - Wilson Betemit, baseball player
- 1981 - Avy Scott, American actress
- 1982 - Kyoko Fukada, Japanese actress, model and singer
- 1984 - Julia Stegner, German supermodel
- 1986 - Erika Jo, American musician
- 1986 - Lara Sacher, Australian actress
- 1986 - Rajeshwari Ganesan Iyer, Indian Journalist
- 1988 - Lindze Letherman, American actress (General Hospital)
- 1989 - Katelyn Tarver, American singer
Deaths
- 943 - Queen Emma of France, (b. 894)
- 1083 - Matilda of Flanders, Queen consort (b. 1031)
- 1285 - King Peter III of Aragon (b. 1239)
- 1327 - King James II of Aragon (b. 1267)
- 1483 - Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (b. 1454)
- 1610 - Richard Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1544)
- 1618 - Archduke Maximilian III of Austria (b. 1568)
- 1716 - Engelbert Kaempfer, German physician and traveler (b. 1651)
- 1807 - Baron de Breteuil, French statesman (b. 1730)
- 1852 - Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, Russian general (b. 1782)
- 1863 - Theodore Judah, American railroad engineer (b. 1826)
- 1877 - Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (b. 1784)
- 1887 - Jenny Lind, Swedish soprano (b. 1820)
- 1898 - George Goyder, English-born surveyor-general of South Australia (b. 1826)
- 1905 - Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist (b. 1817)
- 1935 - Jock Cameron, South African cricketer (b. 1905)
- 1944 - Thomas Midgley, American chemist and inventor (b. 1889)
- 1945 - Princess Thyra, daughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark (b. 1880)
- 1949 - Jerome F. Donovan, American politician (b. 1872)
- 1950 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)
- 1960 - Dimitris Mitropoulos, Greek conductor and composer (b. 1896)
- 1961 - James Thurber, American humorist (b. 1894)
- 1963 - Ngô Đình Diệm, President of South Vietnam (b. 1901)
- 1966 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
- 1966 - Mississippi John Hurt, American blues singer (b. 1892)
- 1970 - Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston (b. 1895)
- 1975 - Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian film director (b. 1922)
- 1979 - Jacques Mesrine, French criminal (b. 1936)
- 1984 - Velma Barfield, American murderer (b. 1932)
- 1986 - Paul Frees, American voice actor (b. 1920)
- 1991 - Mort Shuman, American singer and songwriter (b. 1936)
- 1991 - Irwin Allen, American film producer (b. 1916)
- 1992 - Hal Roach, American director and producer (b. 1892)
- 1996 - Eva Cassidy, American singer (b. 1963)
- 2002 - Tonio Selwart, German actor (b. 1896)
- 2002 - Charles Sheffield, American author and physicist (b. 1935)
- 2003 - Frank McCloskey, American politician (b. 1939)
- 2004 - Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, President of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Theo van Gogh, Dutch filmmaker (b. 1957)
- 2004 - Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (b. 1951)
Holidays and observances
- Catholicism - All Souls Day (unless on a Sunday)
- Ancient Latvia - Dveselu Diena held
- Mexico and the United States - Day of the Dead (Spanish: El Dia de los Muertos), a Mexican and Mexican-American celebration of dead ancestors.
- USA - admission day (1889) of North Dakota and South Dakota as 39th and 40th states.
- Rastafari movement - The coronation of Haile Selassie (1930) celebrated
- Brazil - Memorial Day (Portuguese: Dia de Finados), a Brazilian celebration of dead ancestors.