What Happened Today in History on November 2

The Peace of Bicêtre is signed, temporarily halting the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war in France. Expand +

King Richard III of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey, marking the beginning of his short reign.

Tsar Peter the Great, is  formally proclaimed the title of "Emperor of All Russia" after Russia's victory in the Great Northern War. The title was bestowed upon him by the Governing Senate and Synod in September 1721, and was accepted by him in November 2, 1721, formally transforming the Tsardom of Russia into the Russian Empire.  Expand +

North Dakota is admitted to the United States of America becoming the 39th State.

South Dakota is admitted to the United States of America becoming the 40h State.

The Boxer Rebellion begins in China. An uprising against against the spread of Western and Japanese influence including western religion begun by peasants but was eventually supported by the government. Expand +

Great Britain and France declared war on Turkey respecting their agreement with Russia, widening the conflict of World War I.

Russia declares war on Turkey, following the shelling of Russian ports and the sinking of Russian ships in the Black Sea by Turkey. Three days later, on November 5, 1914, Great Britain and France, declared war on the Ottoman Empire, respecting their agreement with Russia, widening the conflict of World War I.

The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population. The statement came in the form of a letter from Britain’s then-foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, addressed to Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, More

Tafari Makonnen is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia following the death of Empress Zewditu, on November 2, 1930, taking the name Haile Selassie I, which means "Power of the Trinity". His full title was "His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings of Ethiopia and Elect of God". Expand +

Howard Hughes flies the H-4 Hercules nicknamed the Spruce Goose. It was the largest, heaviest and most expensive plane ever built. Yet aside from a one-mile test flight at 70ft (20m), it never flew again.  Expand +

The obscenity trial of Penguin Books for publishing DH Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover ends with their acquittal. The verdict is seen as a major victory for freedom of expression in Britain and liberalizing the cultural landscape. Expand +

Generals in the South Vietnamese Army depose President Ngo Dinh Diem and assassinate Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu. More

NASA Astronaut Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev become the first crew to reside onboard the station. Expedition 1 spent four months onboard completing tasks necessary to bring the ISS "to life" and began what is now more than 20 years of continuous human presence in space. More

George W. Bush is reelected as President of the United States, defeating John Kerry.