Today is Wednesday, Nov. 6, the 311th day of 2024. There are 55 days left in the year.
Today in history
On Nov. 6, 1860, former Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party was elected President of the United States as he defeated John Breckinridge, John Bell and Stephen Douglas.
Also on this date
In 1861, James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.
In 1888, Republican presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison won the electoral vote over incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland, despite Cleveland gaining 90,000 more total votes; it would be the last time the popular vote winner would lose the election until 2000.
In 1947, “Meet the Press,” the longest-running television show in America, made its debut on NBC; the host was the show’s co-creator, Martha Rountree.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower won reelection, defeating Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson II for the second time.
In 1977, 39 people were killed when the Kelly Barnes Dam in Georgia burst, sending a wall of water through Toccoa Falls College.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan easily won reelection over former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic challenger who won just one state, his native Minnesota.
In 2012, President Barack Obama won reelection, vanquishing Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206.
Fun election facts
The first seven presidents were born as British subjects. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson had all been born before the United States gained independence from Great Britain. Martin Van Buren was the first natural-born American to become president in 1837.
The word “ballot” comes from the Italian word ballotta, meaning “small ball.” In medieval Venice, people used small colored or marked balls to vote. Today, the word “ballot” refers to the many different ways people cast their vote — whether it’s using a ball, a piece of paper, or a touchscreen.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Sally Field is 78. Jazz musician Arturo Sandoval is 75. Author Michael Cunningham is 72. Journalist-author Maria Shriver is 69. Author Colson Whitehead is 55. Actor Ethan Hawke is 54. Actor Thandiwe (tan-DEE’-way) Newton is 52. Model-actor Rebecca Romijn (roh-MAYN’) is 52. Actor Taryn Manning is 46. Actor Emma Stone is 36. Comedian-actor Bowen Yang is 34. Olympic swimming gold medalist Bobby Finke is 25.
The Edge is compiled by Katie Clohessy. She can be contacted at kclohessy@lmtribune.com.
