TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, November  02, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Nov. 2, 1948, President Harry S. Truman narrowly won re-election over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey.   AP Photo/Byron Rollins
On this date in: 1783 Gen. George Washington issued his farewell address to the Army near Princeton, N.J. 1795 James K. Polk, the 11th president of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg County, N.C. 1865 Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, was born near Corsica, Ohio. 1889 North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states. 1917 British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour expressed support for a national home for the Jews of Palestine in what became known as the Balfour Declaration. 1947 Howard Hughes piloted his huge wooden airplane, the Spruce Goose, on its only flight, which lasted about a minute over Long Beach Harbor in California. AP Photo 1959 Charles Van Doren admitted to a House subcommittee that he had the questions and answers in advance of his appearances on the TV game show "Twenty-One." 1963 South Vietnamese President Ngo Dihn Diem was assassinated in a military coup. 1976 Former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter defeated Republican incumbent Gerald R. Ford, becoming the first U.S. president from the Deep South since the Civil War. 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill establishing a federal holiday on the third Monday of January in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. 2004 President George W. Bush was elected to a second term. 2006 The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a man said they had had sexual trysts together. 2009 Afghanistan's election commission proclaimed President Hamid Karzai the victor of the country's tumultuous ballot, canceling a planned runoff. 2010 Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, picking up 63 seats in midterm elections, while Democrats retained a majority in the Senate; Republican governors outnumbered Democrats after gaining six states. 2010 Californians rejected a ballot measure that would have made their state the first to legalize marijuana for recreational use.		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker turns 45 years old today. AP Photo/Morry Gash Name Profession Age Patrick J. Buchanan Political commentator 74 Stefanie Powers Actress ("Hart to Hart") 70 Shere Hite Author 70 Keith Emerson Rock musician (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) 68 J.D. Souther Country singer, songwriter 67 k.d. lang Singer 51 Lynn Nottage Playwright ("Ruined") 48 Nelly Rapper 38 Chris Walla Rock musician (Death Cab for Cutie) 37