On This Day - What Happened On November 2 | Britannica

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1976 Jimmy Carter elected 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002 and Democratic former governor of Georgia, was elected 39th president of the United States this day in 1976, narrowly defeating Republican Gerald R. Ford. Courtesy: Jimmy Carter Library

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Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin French painter bornNovember 2, 1699Paris, FrancediedDecember 6, 1779 (aged 80)Paris, FranceCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson, 1942.5.1 1966 David Schwimmer American actor 1965 Shah Rukh Khan Indian actor 1913 Burt Lancaster American actor and producer 1865 Warren G. Harding president of United States 1795 James K. Polk president of United States See All Biographies On This Day

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2000 The first resident crew—including one American and two Russians—arrived at the International Space Station. Take our astronomy and space quizNASA Marshall Space Flight Center Collection 1988 A computer science student named Robert Morris released the first computer worm onto the Internet; meant as an experiment, it brought some 6,000 computers (one-tenth of the Internet) to a halt. Sort fact from fiction in our computer quiz 1983 U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the third Monday in January a national holiday in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Watch the construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, Washington, D.CMarion S. Trikosko, News & World Report, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppmsc-01269) 1964 King Saud of Saudi Arabia was formally deposed; he was succeeded by his brother Faisal. Who are the kings who have ruled Saudi Arabia?© AFP/Getty Images 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem, who used dictatorial powers to rule South Vietnam as its president, was killed in a coup led by his generals.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1960 In a landmark British trial, a jury ruled that D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover was not obscene, thereby allowing its publisher to distribute and sell the work in its unexpurgated form in the UK for the first time. How much do you know about famous novels?Elliott and Fry Collection/Bassano Studios 1950 Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, died at age 94. Test your knowledge of English and Irish playwrightsKarsh/Woodfin Camp and Associates 1949 The Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia signed the Hague Agreement, an attempt to end conflict over Indonesia's proclaimed independence.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1947 American aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes piloted the Spruce Goose, an eight-engine wooden flying boat intended to carry 750 passengers, on its only flight, which covered a distance of one mile. Take our quiz about aviation and aircraftCourtesy of the San Diego Air & Space Museum 1936 The British Broadcasting Corporation officially launched its first television channel, which was also the world's first regular TV service.© IR_Stone—iStock Editorial/Getty Images 1932 Members of the Royal Australian Artillery fired the opening shots in the Emu War, frightening a group of about 50 emus and scattering them in all directions.© Alfotokunst/Dreamstime.com 1930 Tafari Makonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia, taking the name Haile Selassie. How much do you know about African leaders?AP 1917 The British issued the Balfour Declaration, a statement of support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”; it was made in a letter from Arthur James Balfour, the British foreign secretary.Bassano and Vandyk 1889 North Dakota was admitted to the union as the 39th U.S. state and South Dakota as the 40th. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about U.S. states 1755 Marie-Antoinette, the queen consort of King Louis XVI of France (1774–93), was born. Did Marie-Antoinette really say “Let them eat cake”?© Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.