Today in History: November 8, Florida election recount begins

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

"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, John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over 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 Rep. Gabrielle Giffords."

"including 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 a celebrity business"

On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida that decided the presidential outcome between George W. Bush and Al Gore; the recount ended Dec. 12 by U.S. Supreme Court order, awarding Florida's electoral votes and the presidency to Bush. Abraham Lincoln won reelection in 1864 over George B. McClellan, and Montana joined the Union as the 41st state in 1889. Adolf Hitler led the failed Beer-Hall Putsch in Munich in 1923. Allied forces launched Operation Torch in North Africa in 1942. The first jet air-to-air combat occurred in 1950 during the Korean War. Later events include John F. Kennedy's 1960 victory, the 1974 dismissal of charges related to Kent State, Jared Lee Loughner's 2012 life sentence, Typhoon Haiyan's 2013 devastation, and Donald Trump's 2016 election.

Read at www.mercurynews.com