Today is Tuesday, Nov. 4, the 308th day of 1997. There are 57 days left in the year. This is Election Day.
Today's Highlight in History:On Nov. 4, 1979, the Iranian hostage crisis began as militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran.
On this date:
In 1842, Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Ill.
In 1884, Democrat Grover Cleveland was elected to his first term as president, defeating Republican James G. Blaine.
In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in Egypt.
In 1924, Nellie T. Ross of Wyoming was elected the nation's first woman governor; she was to serve the remaining term of William B. Ross, her husband who died in office.
In 1942, during World War II, Axis forces retreated from El Alamein in North Africa in a major victory for British forces commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson.
In 1956, Soviet troops moved in to crush the Hungarian Revolution.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the White House, beating President Carter by a wide margin.
In 1991, former President Reagan opened his library in Simi Valley, Calif., with a dedication ceremony attended by President Bush and former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon.
In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli minutes after attending a peace rally.
Ten years ago: Six-year-old Lisa Steinberg was pronounced dead at a New York City hospital in a child-abuse case that sparked national outrage; Joel Steinberg, a lawyer who adopted her illegally, was later sentenced to prison for manslaughter.
Five years ago: Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency announced the arrest of American businessman Milton Meier, who had lived in Iran for 17 years, on charges of illegal business dealings and espionage.
One year ago: On the last day of campaigning before Election Day, President Clinton appealed for a second term by taking credit for a revived economy, while Republican Bob Dole warned of mounting Clinton ethical questions.
Today's Birthdays: Former CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite is 81. Actor Art Carney is 79. Actress Doris Roberts is 67. Actress Loretta Swit is 60. Rhythm-and-blues singer Harry Elston (Friends of Distinction) is 59. Blues singer Delbert McClinton is 57. Actress Markie Post is 47. Country singer-musician Van Stephenson (BlackHawk) is 44. Pianist Yanni is 43. Rock singer-musician Chris Difford (Squeeze) is 43. Country singer Kim Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 37. Actor Ralph Macchio is 35. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 28. Rapper-producer Puff Daddy (Sean "Puffy" Combs) is 27. Rhythm-and-blues singer Shawn Rivera (Az Yet) is 26.
Thought for Today: "What is politics but persuading the public to vote for this and support that and endure these for the promise of those?" - Gilbert Highet, Scottish-born American author and educator (1906-1978).