On This Day in History - November 2nd - Almanac

Today is Saturday, Nov. 2, the 307th day of 2024 with 59 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include frontiersman Daniel Boone in 1734; Marie Antoinette, queen of France, in 1755; James Polk, the 11th president of the United States, in 1795; Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, in 1865; actor Burt Lancaster in 1913; International Tennis Hall of Fame member Ken Rosewall in 1934 (age 90); writer/commentator Pat Buchanan in 1938 (age 86); writer Shere Hite in 1942; actor Stefanie Powers in 1942 (age 82); musician J.D. Souther (Souther-Hillman-Furay Band/Longbranch/Pennywhistle) in 1945; writer Dale Brown in 1956 (age 68); musician Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band) in 1958 (age 66); actor Peter Mullan in 1959 (age 65); musician k.d. lang in 1961 (age 63); musician Bobby "Dall" Kuykendall (Poison) in 1963 (age 61); actor Luna Lauren Vélez in 1964 (age 60); actor David Schwimmer in 1966 (age 58); musician Fieldy, born Reginald Arvizu (Korn) in 1969 (age 55); actor Meta Golding in 1971 (age 53); actor Marisol Nichols in 1973 (age 51); musician Nelly, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., in 1974 (age 50); actor Danny Cooksey in 1975 (age 49); musician Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie/Postal Service) in 1975 (age 49); TV personality Karamo Brown in 1980 (age 44); musician/actor Kendall Schmidt (Big Time Rush/Heffron Drive) in 1990 (age 34); actor Brielle Barbusca in 1998 (age 26); actor Sunny Sandler in 2008 (age 16).

On this date in history:

In 1889, North and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states of the union.

In 1920, in the first significant news broadcast, KDKA in Pittsburgh reported the U.S. presidential election results in Warren G. Harding's win over James Cox.

In 1947, Howard Hughes built and piloted the world's largest airplane, the 200-ton flying boat Spruce Goose, on its only flight, at Long Beach, Calif. The Goose remained airborne for just under 1 mile.

In 1959, Charles Van Doren told a U.S. congressional investigation he had been given questions and answers in advance of appearances on a television game show.

In 1962, U.S. President John Kennedy announced that Soviet missile bases in Cuba were being dismantled.

In 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia, was elected the 39th U.S. president, defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.

In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill establishing a national holiday to mark the birthday anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1992, legendary filmmaker Hal Roach died at age 100. He was credited with discovering the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy and producing the Our Gang comedies.

In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush was re-elected in a race with Democrat John Kerry.

In 2013, two French journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, were kidnapped and killed after interviewing a rebel leader in northern Mali. President Francois Hollande expressed "indignation at this odious act."

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series, winning the team's first championship in 108 years.

In 2023, the Beatles released their last new song, "Now and Then," using new technology to piece together vocals, guitar and piano recorded by the late John Lennon and George Harrison in the late 1970s with new additions by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

A thought for the day: "You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too." -- Baseball Hall of Fame member Roy Campanella