Today in History: November 4, Obama wins presidency in historic election

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 4, the 308th day of 2025. There are 57 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 4, 2008, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was elected the first Black president of the United States, defeating the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Also on this date:

In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.

In 1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming and Miriam Amanda Ferguson of Texas became the first women to be elected governor of a U.S. state.

In 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began as militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants; 52 of the hostages were held for 444 days and were released on Jan. 20, 1981.

In 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan won election to the White House for the first time as he trounced Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

In 1991, Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, California; attending were President George H.W. Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon — the first-ever gathering of five past and present U.S. chief executives.

In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel, was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli extremist minutes after attending a peace rally.

In 2007, King Tutankhamen’s face was unveiled for the first time to the public more than 3,000 years after the pharaoh was buried in his Egyptian tomb.

In 2016, the Paris climate accord, reached the previous year, took effect; the first global pact to fight climate change called on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposed no sanctions on countries that didn't.

In 2025, far-left Democrat Zohran Mamdani, 34, was elected the youngest mayor of New York City in over a century. His was a stunning victory for the Democratic Party's progressive wing as he beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa for a four-year term.

Today’s Birthdays: Blues musician Delbert McClinton is 86. Former first lady Laura Bush is 80. Author Charles Frazier is 76. Actor Ralph Macchio is 65. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst is 65. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 57. TV personality and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel is 56. Jazz musician Gregory Porter is 55. Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace is 51. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is 51. Football Hall of Famer Devin Hester is 44. Actor Kiana Madeira is 34. Singer Keshi is 32. NBA All-Star player Tyrese Maxey is 26.