History Is Every Day – 11/4/2025

12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for November 4, 2025

Today’s History:

• 1890 – City & South London Railway opens, the world’s first deep-level electric “tube” line.
• 1922 – Howard Carter discovers the steps to Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
• 1924 – U.S. elections: Nellie Tayloe Ross (WY) and “Ma” Ferguson (TX) become the first women elected U.S. state governors.
• 1952 – The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) is established.
• 1956 – Soviet forces crush the Hungarian Revolution, entering Budapest in force.
• 1966 – The Arno River floods Florence, damaging priceless art and architecture.
• 1979 – Iran hostage crisis begins as militants seize the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
• 1980 – Ronald Reagan is elected the 40th President of the United States.
• 1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated after a peace rally in Tel Aviv.
• 2001 – “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” premieres in London.
• 2008 – Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States, the first Black U.S. president.
• 2008 – California voters pass Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage (later overturned in court).

Today’s Birthdays:

• 1937 – Loretta Swit, actress (MAS*H) (88).
• 1960 – Kathy Griffin, comedian/actor (65).
• 1961 – Ralph Macchio, actor (The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai) (64).
• 1969 – Sean “Diddy” Combs, rapper/producer/entrepreneur (56).
• 1969 – Matthew McConaughey, actor/producer (56).
• 1972 – Luís Figo, Portuguese footballer (Ballon d’Or 2000) (53).
• 1975 – Orlando Pace, Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle (50).

Today’s Deaths:

• 1847 – Felix Mendelssohn, German composer (38).
• 1918 – Wilfred Owen, British poet (25).
• 1924 – Gabriel Fauré, French composer (79).
• 1955 – Cy Young, MLB pitching great; namesake of the Cy Young Award (88).
• 1995 – Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli prime minister and Nobel laureate (73).
• 2008 – Michael Crichton, author/filmmaker (Jurassic Park) (66).
• 2011 – Andy Rooney, commentator (CBS’s 60 Minutes) (92).

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