Today is Thursday, Nov. 2, the 306th day of 2017. There are 59 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes piloted his huge wooden flying boat, the Hughes H-4 Hercules (derisively dubbed the "Spruce Goose" by detractors), on its only flight, which lasted about a minute over Long Beach Harbor in California.
On this date:
In 1795, the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
In 1865, the 29th president of the United States, Warren Gamaliel Harding, was born near Marion, Ohio.
In 1867, Harper's Bazaar magazine was first published under the title "Harper's Bazar."
In 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states with the signing of proclamations by President Benjamin Harrison.
In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued a declaration expressing support for a "national home" for the Jews in Palestine.
In 1936, the British Broadcasting Corp. inaugurated "high-definition" television service from Alexandra Palace in London.
In 1948, President Harry S. Truman surprised the experts by winning a narrow upset over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey.
In 1950, playwright George Bernard Shaw, 94, died in Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, England.
In 1976, former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter became the first candidate from the Deep South since the Civil War to be elected president as he defeated incumbent Gerald R. Ford.
In 1986, kidnappers in Lebanon released American hospital administrator David Jacobsen after holding him for 17 months.
In 1992, movie producer Hal Roach died in Los Angeles at age 100.
In 2000, American astronaut Bill Shepherd and two Russian cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, became the first residents of the international space station.
