1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés enters the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, meeting Emperor Montezuma II.
1602 – The Bodleian Library opens at the University of Oxford.
1793 – The Louvre Museum officially opens in Paris as a public museum.
1889 – Montana becomes the 41st U.S. state.
1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays in his laboratory in Würzburg, Germany.
1923 – Adolf Hitler leads the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich.
1932 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected the 32nd President of the United States.
1960 – John F. Kennedy is elected President of the United States, defeating Richard Nixon.
1965 – The Great Northeast Blackout leaves over 30 million people without power across parts of the U.S. and Canada.
2016 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee notes to combat corruption.
Famous Birthdays
Bram Stoker (1847–1912) – Irish author of Dracula.
Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949) – American author of Gone with the Wind.
Dorothy Day (1897–1980) – American journalist and social activist.
June Havoc (1912–2010) – Canadian-American actress and dancer.
Jack Osbourne (born 1985) – British television personality.
Parker Posey (born 1968) – American actress.
Gordon Ramsay (born 1966) – British chef and television personality.
Tara Reid (born 1975) – American actress.
Leif Garrett (born 1961) – American singer and actor.
Alfre Woodard (born 1952) – American actress and producer.
Notable Deaths
Phileas Fogg (fictional) – Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in 80 Days was published on this day, often tied to Fogg’s “symbolic” death of old travel methods.
Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883) – Russian novelist and playwright.
Christian Barnard (1922–2001) – South African heart surgeon, pioneer of the first human heart transplant.
Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) – American painter and illustrator.
Howard Keel (1919–2004) – American actor and singer.
John Milton (1608–1674) – English poet, author of Paradise Lost.
Doc Holliday (1851–1887) – American gambler and gunfighter.
Holidays
World Urbanism Day (International) – Promotes sustainable urban development.
Science, Technology, and Innovation Day (World)
Parents as Teachers Day (USA)
Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day (USA)
Fun Facts
The Louvre opened to the public in 1793 with just over 500 artworks.
Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays revolutionized medicine and earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics.
Gordon Ramsay was born on the same date Röntgen discovered X-rays — both associated with sharp intensity!
Montana and Arizona were both admitted to the Union in early November, years apart.