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

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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 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 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.

Today’s Birthdays: Blues musician Delbert McClinton is 86. Former first lady Laura Bush is 79. Author Charles Frazier is 75. Actor Ralph Macchio is 64. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst is 64. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 56. TV personality and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel is 55. Jazz musician Gregory Porter is 54.Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace is 50. Football Hall of Hamer Devin Hester is 43.