Today in History: November 8, Florida election recount begins

Today is Sunday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2026. There are 53 days left in the year. Today in history: On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The recount would officially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to Bush. Also on this date: In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his soldiers entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, site of present-day Mexico City, welcomed by its ruler Moctezuma II. Cortés' expedition would bring about the downfall of the Aztec empire. In 1793, the Louvre began admitting the public, even though the now world-famous French museum had been officially open since August. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan. In 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state. In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer Hall Putsch.” In 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch in World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa. In 1950, during the Korean War, the first air-to-air combat between jet warplanes took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15. In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy won the U.S. presidential election over Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon. In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland, citing insufficient evidence, dismissed charges against eight Ohio National...