Discover What Happened Today in History
A plot to blow up the English Parliament and assassinate King James I was foiled when Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the House of Lords. The event is commemorated annually in the UK as Bonfire Night.
Women's suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony cast a ballot in the U.S. presidential election in Rochester, New York, in defiance of laws prohibiting women from voting. She was arrested, tried, and fined, bringing national attention to the suffrage movement.
George B. Selden was granted U.S. Patent No. 549,160 for a 'road engine' powered by an internal combustion engine, effectively the first American patent for an automobile. This patent later became a major point of contention in the early automotive industry.
After defeating the Ottoman Empire in a brief war, Italy issued a royal decree formally annexing the North African provinces of Tripoli and Cyrenaica. This marked a key step in the creation of the Italian colony of Libya.
At age 45, George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer to reclaim the world heavyweight boxing championship he had lost 20 years earlier. He became the oldest heavyweight champion in history, cementing his legendary comeback.