Today in History [8th November, 2015]

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
November 8

392		Theodosius of Rome passes legislation prohibiting all pagan worship in the empire.
1226		Louis IX succeeds Louis VIII as king of France.
1576		The 17 provinces of the Netherlands form a federation to maintain peace.
1620		The King of Bohemia is defeated at the Battle of Prague.
1685		Fredrick William of Brandenburg issues the Edict of Potsdam, offering Huguenots refuge.
1793		The Louvre opens in Paris. But wasn’t it already a Palace and it merely opens to the people?
1861		Charles Wilkes seizes Confederate commissioners John Slidell and James M. Mason from the British ship Trent.
1864		President Abraham Lincoln is re-elected in the first wartime election in the United States.
1887		Doc Holliday, who fought on the side of the Earp brothers during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 6 years earlier, dies of tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
1889		Montana becomes the 41st state of the Union.
1900		Theodore Dresier’s first novel Sister Carrie is published by Doubleday, but is recalled from stores shortly due to public sentiment.
1904		President Theodore Roosevelt is elected president of the United States. He had been vice president until the shooting death of President William McKinley.
1910		The Democrats prevail in congressional elections for the first time since 1894.
1923		Adolf Hitler attempts a coup in Munich, the "Beer Hall Putsch," and proclaims himself chancellor and Ludendorff dictator. .
1932		Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected 32nd president of the United States.
1938		Crystla Bird Fauset of Pennsylvania, becomes the first African-American woman to be elected to a state legislature.
1942		The United States and Great Britain invade Axis-occupied North Africa.
1960		John F. Kennedy is elected 35th president, defeating Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the closest election, by popular vote, since 1880.
1965		Vietnam War, Operation Hump: US 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team ambushed by over 1,200 Viet Cong in Bien Hoa Province. Nearby, in the Gang Toi Hills, a company of the Royal Australian Regiment also engaged Viet Cong forces.
1966		Republican Edward Brooke of Massachusetts becomes the first African American elected to the Senate in 85 years.
1977		Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos discovers what is believed to be the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina in northern Greece.
1983		Wilson B. Goode is elected as the first black mayor of the city of Philadelphia.
1987		A dozen people are killed and over 60 wounded when the IRA detonates a bomb during a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, honoring those who had died in wars involving British forces.
2000		Dispute begins over US presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore; Supreme Court ruling on Dec. 12 results in a 271-266 electoral victory for Bush.
2004		More than 10,000 US troops and a few Iraqi army units besiege an insurgent stronghold at Fallujah.
2013		Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, slams into the Philippines, with sustained winds of 195 mpg (315 kph) and gusts up to 235 mph (380 kph); over 5,000 are killed (date is Nov 7 in US).
Born on November 8
1656		Edmond Halley, mathematician and astronomer who predicted the return of the comet that bears his name.
1847		Bram Stoker, author (Dracula).
1878		Marshall Walter Taylor, "Major Taylor," the world’s fastest bicycle racer for a 12-year period.
1879		Leon Trosky, Russian Communist leader.
1884		Hermann Rorshach, Swiss psychiatrist, inventor of the inkblot test.
1900		Albert Friedrich Frey-Wyssling, Swiss botanist and molecular biology pioneer.
1900		Margaret Mitchell, American writer who found success in her first and only novel, Gone With the Wind.
1909		Katherine Hepburn, American actress who won four Oscars. Her movies included Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story and The African Queen.
1916		Peter Ulrich Weiss, German novelist and dramatist (Marat/Sade, The Investigation).
1922		Christiaan Barnard, South African surgeon, performed the first human heart transplant operation.
1927		Patti Page, singer ("Tennessee Waltz," "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?").
1929		Bobby Bowden, US college football coach; holds NCAA record for most career wins and bowl wins by any Division I FBS coach.
1931		Morley Safer, journalist; 60 Minutes correspondent (1970– ).
1932		Ben Bova, noted author of works of science fact and fiction, a six-time winner of the Hugo Award for science fiction and fantasy writing.
1949		Bonnie Raitt, blues singer, songwriter, musician. Rolling Stone magazine included her on its lists of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
1950		Mary Hart, actress, journalist; hosted Entertainment Tonight TV program 1982–2011.
1954		Rickie Lee Jones, singer, songwriter, musician; listed on VH1 list of greatest women of rock music.
1970		Tom Anderson, entrepreneur; co-founder of Myspace website.
2003		Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.