Nov. 8 history: 'Bloody Belzoni'

Nov. 8 history

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

In 1889, Montana became the 41st state.

1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.” 

In 1935, the movies “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, and “A Night at the Opera,” starring the Marx Brothers, premiered in New York.

In 1942, Operation Torch, resulting in an Allied victory, began during WWII as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1955, six months after nightriders gunned down civil rights leader, the Rev. George Lee, Gus Courts dared to lead 22 Black Mississippians to vote in a tiny Delta town, which bore the nickname, “Bloody Belzoni.” Courts knew this march could mean his death, but he made the trek anyway. 1955: Gus Courts led 22 Black citizens to vote in Bloody Belzoni - Mississippi Today

In 1966, Republican Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, defeating Democratic incumbent Pat Brown.

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Earlier that day, VP Al Gore had telephoned Texas Gov. George W. Bush to concede but called back an hour later to retract his concession. 

In 2002, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, aimed at forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences.” President George W. Bush said the new resolution presented the Iraqi regime “with a final test.”

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice.

In 2022, in the midterm elections, Republicans gained a narrow majority in the House, while Democrats managed to maintain control of the Senate. (History.com 11/08/23)