1842: Abraham Lincoln Married Mary Todd

November 4, 1842, Abraham Lincoln, a struggling lawyer, married Mary “Molly” Anne Todd, the daughter of wealthy parents, in Springfield, Illinois. The couple met in 1840 and when Lincoln proposed, she accepted, despite family objections. Lincoln broke off the marriage without explanation in 1841, which lasted until the fall of 1842.

1922: The entrance to King Tut’s tomb was discovered

Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, and his workmen were in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt when they found a step that led to the tomb of King Tut. During the excavation process, a stone sarcophagus was found that had three coffins within each other. The final coffin made of solid gold had the mummified body of King Tut. It had been preserved for more than 3000 years.

1952: National Security Agency was Formed

The origin of the National Security Agency (NSA) was to decipher the coded communications in WWII. It was not until 1952 where Harry S Truman officially formed the NSA. Since then, the NSA has become the largest “US intelligence organization in terms of personnel and budget” (National Security Agency).

1960: Kathy Griffin is born

American comedian and actress Kathleen “Kathy” Mary Griffin was born on November 4, 1960 in Oak Park, Illinois. She studied drama at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Her work as a stand-up comedian began in 1990. Griffin is a two-time Emmy and Grammy winner for reality shows and comedy albums.

1979: Iran Hostage Crisis

On November 4, 1979, Iranian students broke through the gates of the US Embassy in Tehran and took most of the staff hostage. Six people evaded capture and were rescued in early 1980 by a Canadian American effort. The rest of the hostages were held at the US Embassy for 444 days.

2003: The Most Powerful Solar Flare Occurs

Solar flares are classified based on their brightness in the x-ray wavelengths. X-class flares are the largest and most powerful, they can cause radio blackouts and radiation storms. The solar flare that occurred on Nov 4, 2003 “saturated the X-ray detectors on several monitoring satellites” (The biggest solar X-ray flare ever is classified as X28).

2008: Barack Obama elected as Americas first Black President

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona to become the 44th president of the United States of America and the first African American to be elected to the White House. Obama was inaugurated on Jan 20, 2009 and was elected to a second term on November 6, 2012.

2016: The Paris Agreement went into effect

The agreement set forth an effort “to keep the global average temperatures from rising by more than 2°C” (Paris Agreement comes into effect). President Barack Obama signed the Paris Agreement in 2008, but less than a year later President Donald Trump announced the end of the US’s participation in the agreement. In 2020, Joe Biden was elected president and announced that the US would rejoin the Paris Agreement.