Today in History: November 8, Florida election recount begins

Today is Sunday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2026. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The recount would officially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to Bush.

Also on this date:

In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his soldiers entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, site of present-day Mexico City, welcomed by its ruler Moctezuma II. Cortés' expedition would bring about the downfall of the Aztec empire.

In 1793, the Louvre began admitting the public, even though the now world-famous French museum had been officially open since August.

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

In 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer Hall Putsch.”

In 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first air-to-air combat between jet warplanes took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon.

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland, citing insufficient evidence, dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening villages and displacing more than 5 million.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in an astonishing victory for the celebrity businessman and political novice.

In 2018, tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever; the fire killed 85 people and nearly destroyed the community of Paradise.

In 2022, a total lunar eclipse turned the moon coppery red in appearance. The eclipse was visible across much of North America and parts of Europe, as well as South America, Asia and Australia.

In 2024, Notre-Dame Cathedral’s eight restored north tower bells ring together for the first time since the devastating 2019 fire; ahead of the Paris cathedral's reopening in December, three new bells will be installed above the altar, including one used by track-and-field winners during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Today’s Birthdays: Racing Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. is 84. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 77. Actor Alfre Woodard is 74. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 72. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 72. Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 70. Former guitarist Pearl Thompson (The Cure) is 69. Actor Leif Garrett is 65. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 60. Actor Courtney Thorne-Smith is 59. Actor Parker Posey is 58. News anchor David Muir is 53. Actor Matthew Rhys is 52. Actor Tara Reid is 51. Baseball player Giancarlo Stanton is 37. R&B singer SZA is 37. Singer Lauren Alaina is 32. Actor Benjamin Wadsworth is 27.