This Day In History, November 4th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on November 4th
In Egypt, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his crew formally declared the finding of Tutankhamun's tomb.
1956: Soviet forces invade Budapest, Hungary, launching the Hungarian Revolution against Soviet rule.
The Iran hostage crisis began in 1979, when Iranian militants took over the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans prisoner for 444 days.
An extreme Jewish shooter killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1995.
Barack Obama was elected as the United States' first African-American President in 2008, beating Republican opponent John McCain in the presidential election.
1922: In Egypt, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb was officially announced by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team.
Howard Carter and his team's discovery of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun is one of the most renowned archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. On November 4, 1922, the find was made in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, near the city of Luxor. The tomb housed a treasure trove of items, notably Tutankhamun's golden death mask, which has become one of ancient Egypt's most recognizable symbols. The tomb's discovery revealed a lot of knowledge about ancient Egypt's life and culture, and it fueled a passion in Egyptology that continues to this day.
1956: Soviet troops entered Budapest, Hungary, marking the start of the Hungarian Revolution against Soviet control.
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution began on October 23, 1956, with a nonviolent student rally against Hungary's Soviet-backed government. However, the protest turned violent, and Soviet troops were dispatched to put down the uprising. On November 4, 1956, Soviet tanks moved into Budapest, Hungary's capital, and the conflict heated up. The Hungarian people put up a valiant fight, but Soviet forces were eventually able to put an end to the revolt and retake control of the country. The Hungarian Revolution was a crucial Cold War event, with far-reaching effects for both the people of Hungary and the Soviet Union.
1979: The Iran hostage crisis began when Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
On November 4, 1979, a gang of Iranian militants attacked the US embassy in Tehran and kidnapped 66 American diplomats and diplomatic workers, demanding that the US restore the deposed Shah of Iran, who was receiving medical care in the US. 14 hostages were released during the next three weeks, while 52 Americans were held captive for 444 days, undergoing physical and psychological abuse. The Iran hostage crisis was a major diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iran, and it had a significant influence on US foreign policy and Middle Eastern relations. The hostages were ultimately released on January 20, 1981, only minutes after President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.
1995: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by an extremist Jewish gunman in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's Prime Minister from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1992 until his death in 1995, was a pivotal role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. On November 4, 1995, Rabin was attending a peace demonstration in Tel Aviv when he was shot and murdered by Yigal Amir, an extreme Jewish shooter. The killing shocked both Israelis and the world community, and it had a significant influence on the peace process. Rabin's death was greatly lamented, and it hampered efforts to reach a long-term peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
2008: Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain in the presidential election.
The 2008 US presidential election was historic in that Barack Obama became the country's first African-American president. Obama, a Democrat, beat Republican contender John McCain in the November 4, 2008 election. Obama's election was a watershed moment in American history, signaling a profound shift in American ideas regarding race and politics. Obama was President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, and his presidency was distinguished by a number of key domestic and international occurrences, including the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and the assassination of Osama bin Laden.