The Battle of Issus occurs between Alexander the Great of Macedonia and Darius III of Persia. Alexander achieves a decisive victory, securing his control over Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and further weakening the Persian Empire.
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What Happened Today in History on November 5
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on November 5th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Battle of Roslin takes place during the First War of Scottish Independence, with Scottish forces led by William Wallace defeating the English.
The Battle of Morgarten occurs in Switzerland, where Swiss forces defeat the Habsburg army.
Alfonso IV becomes King of Aragon after the death of his father, James II.
The Gunpowder Plot, a failed conspiracy to assassinate King James I of England and blow up the House of Lords during the Opening of Parliament is discovered. The plan was organized by Robert Catesby, a devout English Catholic who hoped to kill the Protestant King James and establish Catholic rule in England. More
William of Orange lands in England on November 5, 1688, at Brixham in Devon, leading an invasion force that was invited by a group of English politicians known as the "Immortal Seven". His arrival sparked the Glorious Revolution, which led to the deposition of the reigning monarch, James II, and the eventual coronation of William and his wife, Mary II.
Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig Party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United States. More
Susan B. Anthony and other women's suffrage activists are arrested for voting in the U.S. presidential election. After casting her ballot in her hometown of Rochester, New York, she was arrested, indicted, tried, and convicted for voting illegally. She later described her trial as “the greatest judicial outrage history has ever recorded. More
Woodrow Wilson becomes the 28th President of the U.S. by defeating the incumbent William H. Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 presidential election with a landslide victory in the electoral college and just 41.8% of the popular vote, the lowest vote share for a victorious presidential candidate since 1860. More
Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected as President of the United States for an unprecedented third term. More
Richard Nixon is elected as the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974) after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from California. He became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal. More
India launched its first interplanetary spacecraft, the Mars Orbiter Mission. India built Mangalyaan (“Mars craft” in English) to study the Red Planet and test key technologies required for exploring the inner solar system. The Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014. More