Today in History: November 7, first woman elected to Congress

"Today in history: On Nov. 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to either chamber of Congress. Also on this date: In 1917, Russia's Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky. In 1940, Washington state's original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed Galloping Gertie, collapsed into Puget Sound during a windstorm just four months after opening to traffic."

"In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in office, defeating Republican Thomas E. Dewey. In 1972, President Richard Nixon was reelected in a landslide over Democrat George McGovern. In 1989, L. Douglas Wilder won the governor's race in Virginia, becoming the first elected Black governor in U.S. history; David N. Dinkins was elected New York City's first Black mayor. In 1991, basketball star Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV and was retiring."

"In 1996, NASA launched the Mars Global Surveyor from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the agency's first mission to the red planet in about two decades. The orbiter became the longest-operating spacecraft sent to Mars before NASA lost contact with it in November 2006. In 2011, a jury in Los Angeles convicted Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, of involuntary manslaughter for supplying a powerful anesthetic implicated in the pop star's 2009 death."

Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 is the 311th day of the year; 54 days remain. On Nov. 7, 1916 Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to either chamber of Congress. In 1917 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin led forces that overthrew the provisional government in the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1940 the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed into Puget Sound during a windstorm. Presidential milestones include FDR's unprecedented fourth term in 1944 and Nixon's 1972 reelection. In 1989 L. Douglas Wilder and David N. Dinkins became historic Black elected leaders. Other events include Magic Johnson's 1991 HIV announcement and NASA's 1996 Mars Global Surveyor launch. Birthdays include Jim Kaat, Johnny Rivers and Joni Mitchell.

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