November 8 ...

In 1805 the "Corps of Discovery" reached the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was lead by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis. The journey had begun on May 14, 1804, with the goal of exploring the Louisiana Purchase territory. In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln was reelected in an overwhelming victory over George McClellan. In 1892 Grover Cleveland was elected over Benjamin Harrison to win the second of his non-consecutive terms. In 1889 Montana became the 41st state. In 1923 Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power with a failed coup in Munich, Germany, the "Beer-Hall Putsch." In 1932 New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Herbert Hoover in a landslide for the presidency. In 1933 President Roosevelt created the Civil Works Administration, designed to create jobs for more than four million unemployed. In 1942 Operation Torch began during World War II as US and British forces landed in French North Africa. In 1960 Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency. In 1966 Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts became the first African-American elected to the US Senate by popular vote; also on this day, Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California. In 1988 Vice President George Bush won the presidential election, defeating Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. In 1994 midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate for the first time in eight years while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years. In 2000 a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Early that day, Vice President Al Gore telephoned Texas Gov. George W. Bush to concede, but called back about an hour later to retract his concession. In 2004 thousands of US troops attacked the toughest strongholds of Sunni insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq, launching a long-awaited offensive aimed at putting an end to guerrilla control of the city.