On this date in history:
– 1868: John Willis Menard became the first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives but was never seated due to opposition.
– 1903: Panama declared independence from Colombia with U.S. support.
– 1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected in a landslide victory over Alfred M. Landon.
– 1948: Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas Dewey in a major upset in the presidential election.
– 1957: The Soviet Union launched Laika, the first animal in space, aboard Sputnik 2.
– 1964: D.C. residents voted for the first time in a presidential election; Lyndon Johnson won against Barry Goldwater.
– 1979: Five Communist Workers Party members were killed by Klansmen at a rally in Greensboro, N.C.
– 1986: A Lebanese magazine revealed a U.S.-Iran weapons-for-hostages deal, leading to the Iran-Contra scandal.
– 1992: Bill Clinton was elected president, defeating George H.W. Bush.
– 2004: Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of Afghanistan’s first presidential election.
– 2012: Supporters of public broadcasting marched in Washington, many dressed as Big Bird.
– 2014: One World Trade Center opened 13 years after the September 11 attacks.
– 2019: Saudi Aramco announced plans to go public, raising $25.6 billion in an IPO.
– 2020: Joe Biden was projected to win the presidential election over Donald Trump.
– 2023: A strong earthquake in Nepal killed nearly 160 people in a mountainous region.
