Today in History
1987 Coup in Tunisia
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali took over the presidency of Tunisia from President Habib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup.
1947 Coup in Thailand
The military staged a coup against Thawan Thamrong Nawasawat and installed Khuang Aphaiwong as Prime Minister.
1917 October Revolution
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized control of the Winter Palace, effectively ending the rule of the post-Tsarist provisional government and transferring all power to the communists in Russia.
1916 First woman to be elected to US Congress
Jeannette Rankin from Montana became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
1869 First inter-city cycle race
Between Paris and Rouen, the first city-to-city cycle race was held. The race was won by James Moore, an Englishman living in Paris at the time.
Births On This Day, November 7
1952 David Petraeus
American military officer, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
1943 Joni Mitchell
Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist
1913 Albert Camus
French author, journalist, philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate
1888 C. V. Raman
Indian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1867 Marie Curie
Polish chemist, physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
Deaths On This Day, November 7
2011 Joe Frazier
American boxer
1980 Steve McQueen
American actor
1962 Eleanor Roosevelt
American politician, humanitarian, 34th First Lady of the United States
1913 Alfred Russel Wallace
Welsh/English geographer, biologist, explorer
644 Umar
Islamic caliph
