Today, Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, becoming the first African-American to do so, beating Republican contender John McCain.
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona on November 4, 2008, to become the 44th President of the United States and the first African American elected to the White House. The 47-year-old Democrat received 365 electoral votes and nearly 53% of the popular vote, while his 72-year-old Republican opponent received 173 electoral votes and more than 45% of the popular vote.
Related On This Day
In the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556, Hindu Emperor of North India Hem Chandra Vikramaditya is defeated by Mughal Emperor Akbar's army, who capture and eventually behead Hem Chandra.
MK Gandhi was detained in South Africa in 1913 for spearheading an Indian miners' march.
Virat Kohli, Indian cricketer, star batsman, and captain of India, was born in Delhi, India in 1988.
Matthew McConaughey, an American actor, was born today in Uvalde, Texas, in 1969.
Shakuntala Devi, an Indian writer and mental calculator known as the "Human Computer," was born today in Bangalore, Mysore, British India, in 1929.
Bryan Adams, a Canadian singer, was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1959.
Chittaranjan Das, an Indian lawyer and politician who founded the Swaraj Party, was born in Bikrampur, British India, in 1869.
Tabu [Tabassum Hashmi], an Indian actress, was born today in Hyderabad, India, in 1972.
Today, Howard Carter discovers Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt in 1922.
Sanjeev Kumar aka Harihar Jariwala, an Indian Bollywood actor, died of a heart attack in 1985 at the age of 47.
Emma Stone, an American actress, was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1988.
Vivien Leigh, an English actress, was born in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, India, in 1913.
Tilda Swinton, a British actress, was born in London, England in 1960.
Today! Akbar succeeds his father Humayun as Sultan of Delhi in 1556.
In 2016, the Indian government declared Delhi's air pollution levels to be an emergency, halting schools and construction sites.
Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America in 1860.
Today, in Springfield, Illinois, American socialite Mary Todd marries Illinois Congressman and lawyer Abraham Lincoln in 1842.