Today is Wednesday, November 7th, the 311th day of the year. There are 54 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1874, the first cartoon to use the elephant as a symbol for the Republican Party appeared in "Harper's Weekly."
In 1893, Colorado became the first state to give women the right to vote.
In 1916, Montana Republican Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress.
In 1929, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City opened to the public.
In 1933, The Marx Brothers classic film "Duck Soup" was released.
In 1954, "Face The Nation" debuted on CBS.
In 1962, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt died at the age of 78.
In 1965, the Pillsbury Doughboy debuted in television advertisements.
In 1980, actor Steve McQueen died at the age of 50. He is best remembered for his roles in such films as "The Great Escape" and "Bullet."
In 1989, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez was given a death sentence after being convicted of 13 murders.
In 1989, L. Douglas Wilder became the first elected black governor in U.S. history after winning the gubernatorial race in Virginia. In New York, David Dinkins was elected New York City's first black mayor.
In 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson announced his retirement from basketball after testing HIV positive.
In 1999, Tiger Woods became the first golfer to win four straight tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1953.
In 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first first lady to win public office, defeating Republican Rick Lazio for a U.S. Senate seat from New York.
In 2009, Democrats in the U.S. House succeeded at passing an historic, sweeping healthcare reform bill. The measure rewrite passed by a vote of 220-to-215, with one Republican voting for it and 39 Democrats voting against.
In 2011, a Los Angeles jury returned a guilty verdict for Michael Jackson's doctor at the time of the singer's death on June 25, 2009. Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The cardiologist was accused of giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol to help the singer sleep, then failing to properly monitor him.
In 2012, President Barack Obama was re-elected to a second term in the White House after a contentious campaign race against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.