Today is Friday, November 4, 2016, the 309th day of the year. 57 days remain until the end of the year, and it’s 4 days until Election Day.
Sunrise: 7:39am
Sunset: 6:07pm
14% of the waxing moon will be visible, setting at 10:05pm.
Tides at the Golden Gate
High: 4:01am/2:36pm
Low: 8:38am/9:21pm
International celebrations today include…
Citizenship Day - Northern Marianas
Community Service Day - Dominica
Constitution Day - Tonga
Flag Day – Palau, Panama
National Day - Micronesia
National Unity Day - Italy
Unity Day - Russia
It’s also…
Love Your Lawyer Day
Use Your Common Sense Day
National Medical Science Liaison Awareness & Appreciation Day
On this day in...
1842 - Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, IL.
1846 - A patent for an artificial leg was granted to Benjamin Palmer.
1847 - Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson discovered the anethestic qualities of chloroform.
1880 - James and John Ritty patented the first cash register.
1922 - In Egypt, Howard Carter discovered the entry of the lost tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.
1924 - Nellie T. Ross of Wyoming was elected America's first woman governor so she could serve out the remaining term of her late husband, William B. Ross.
1939 - During World War II, the U.S. modified its neutrality stance with the Neutrality Act of 1939. The new policy allowed cash-and-carry purchases of arms by belligerents.
1939 - At the 40th National Automobile Show the first air-conditioned car was put on display.
1942 - During World War II, Axis forces retreated from El Alamein in North Africa. It was a major victory for the British.
1952 - In the United States, the National Security Agency (NSA) was established.
1956 - Soviet forces enter Hungary in order to suppress the uprising that had begun on October 23, 1956.
1965 - Lee Ann Roberts Breedlove became the first woman to exceed 300 mph when she went 308.5 mph.
1970 - Former King Peter II of Yugoslavia died in Denver, CO. He was the first European king or queen to die and to be buried in the U.S.
1979 - Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 63 Americans hostage (90 total hostages). The militants, mostly students, demanded that the U.S. send the former shah back to Iran to stand trial. Many hostages were later released, but 52 were held for the next 14 months.
1981 - The second scheduled flight of the space shuttle Columbia was canceled with only 31 seconds left in the countdown.
1984 - Nicaragua held its first free elections in 56 years.
1985 - Soviet defector Vitaly Yurchenko announced he was returning to the Soviet Union. He had charged that he had been kidnapped by the CIA.
1989 - About a million East Germans filled the streets of East Berlin in a pro-democracy rally.
1990 - Iraq issued a statement saying it was prepared to fight a "dangerous war" rather than give up Kuwait.
1991 - Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, CA. The dedication ceremony was attended by President Bush and former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon. It was the 1st gathering of 5 U.S. chief executives.
1995 - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, 73 years old, was assassinated by right-wing Israeli Yigal Amir after attending a peace rally.
1999 - The United Nations imposed economic sanctions against the Taliban that controlled most of Afghanistan. The sanctions were imposed because the Taliban had refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, who had been charged with masterminding the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
2001 - The movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" had its world premiere in London.
2001 - Hurricane Michelle hit Cuba destroying crops and thousands of homes. The United States made the gesture of sending humanitarian aid. On December 16, 2001, Cuba received the first commercial food shipment from the U.S. in nearly 40 years.
Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)…
Will Rogers (William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers) 1879- Cowboy, vaudeville performer, actor
Pauline Trigère 1912- Fashion designer
Walter Cronkite 1916- Broadcast journalist ("CBS Evening News")
Virginia Field 1917- Actress ("The Lady is Willing")
Gig Young (Byron Barr) 1913- Actor
Arthur William Matthew "Art" Carney 1918- Actor ("The Honeymooners," "Harry and Tonto")
Cameron Mitchell 1918- Actor ("Death of a Salesman," "Frankenstein Island")
Martin Balsam 1919- Actor ("Archie Bunker's Place")
Alfred Heineken 1923- Businessman
Kate Reid 1930- Actress
Dick Groat 1930- Baseball player
Doris Roberts 1930- Actress ("Everybody Loves Raymond")
Loretta Swit 1937- Actress (M*A*S*H*)
Harry Elston (Friends of Distinction) 1938
Delbert McClinton 1940- Singer
Robert Mapplethorpe 1946- Photographer
Laura Bush 1946- U.S. First Lady, wife of U.S. President George W. Bush
Markie Post 1950- Actress ("Night Court")
Van Stephenson (Blackhawk) 1953
Chris Difford 1954- Singer, musician (Squeeze)
Jordan Rudess 1956 - Musician (Dream Theater)
Jim Honeyman-Scott 1957 - Musician (Pretenders)
Kathy Griffin 1960- Comedian
Ralph Macchio 1961- Actor (The "Karate Kid" movies)
Jeff Probst 1961- TV personality ("Survivor")
Matthew McConaughey 1969- Actor ("Failure to Launch," "Fool's Gold")
Diddy (Sean John Combs) 1969- Rapper, producer, actor, also known as Puff Daddy, Diddy and P. Diddy
Bethenny Frankel 1970- TV personality
Heather Tom Actress 1975- Actress ("The Bold and the Beautiful")
Vince Wilfork 1981- Football player
Dez Bryant 1988- Footballl player
Jean-Luc Bilodeau 1990- Actor ("16 Wishes")
Jessa Duggar 1992- Actress (Reality star "19 Kids and Counting")
Darcy Rose Byrnes 1998- Actress ("The Young and the Restless")
