November 8

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán, where Aztec ruler Moctezuma II receives him ceremonially.

Cortes and his small band of Spanish conquistadors were welcomed into the magnificent Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan by Moctezuma II, who initially treated the Spanish as honored guests despite considerable unease within his court. This peaceful entry proved deceptive, as tensions escalated rapidly in the following months, ultimately leading to violent conflict and the eventual fall of the Aztec Empire.

Robert Catesby, ringleader of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, is killed resisting capture.

Catesby, considered the principal instigator of the Gunpowder Plot to assassinate King James I, was cornered along with several co-conspirators at Holbeche House after fleeing London following Guy Fawkes' arrest. His death during the standoff with royal forces effectively ended the immediate threat, though several surviving conspirators faced trial and execution in the following weeks.

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays while experimenting with cathode rays.

Röntgen discovered X-rays somewhat by accident while investigating the properties of cathode ray tubes in his laboratory, noticing that a nearby fluorescent screen glowed even when the tube was covered. His discovery of this new form of electromagnetic radiation revolutionized medical diagnostics almost immediately and earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

Adolf Hitler leads the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, an attempt to seize power in Bavaria.

Hitler's attempt to seize power began in a Munich beer hall where he interrupted a political meeting, declaring a national revolution alongside World War I general Erich Ludendorff. The poorly organized putsch collapsed the following day when police fired on the marchers, and Hitler's subsequent trial and imprisonment gave him a national platform that ultimately fueled his later rise to power.

Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected the 32nd U.S. President, defeating incumbent Herbert Hoover.

Roosevelt's landslide victory over incumbent Herbert Hoover came amid the depths of the Great Depression, as voters overwhelmingly rejected Hoover's perceived inaction in addressing widespread unemployment and economic collapse. Roosevelt's subsequent New Deal programs would fundamentally reshape the role of the federal government in American economic life for decades to come.

John F. Kennedy is elected the 35th U.S. President, narrowly defeating Vice President Richard Nixon.

Kennedy's narrow victory over Vice President Richard Nixon made him, at 43, the youngest person ever elected president and the first Roman Catholic to hold the office. The closely contested race, decided by a fraction of the popular vote, was later remembered for the televised debates that many credit with reshaping the role of media in American political campaigns.

HBO launches as one of the first American pay television networks.

HBO launched as a subscription-based cable channel, initially available to a small number of households in Pennsylvania, offering commercial-free movies and live sports broadcasts. Its pioneering pay-television model proved enormously influential, eventually inspiring numerous competitors and establishing premium cable programming as a major force in American entertainment.

A Provisional IRA bomb explodes during a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing twelve people.

The bombing during a Remembrance Day ceremony at a war memorial in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killed twelve civilians and injured dozens more, sparking widespread revulsion even among some IRA supporters. The attack proved a significant turning point in public opinion during the Troubles, prompting increased pressure toward eventual peace negotiations in the region.

Typhoon Haiyan strikes the Philippines, killing more than 6,300 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded at landfall, devastated the central Philippines with catastrophic winds and storm surges that leveled entire coastal communities. The disaster prompted a massive international humanitarian relief effort and renewed global attention to the growing threat of increasingly intense storms linked to climate change.

Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton.

Trump's upset victory over heavily favored Hillary Clinton, secured through the Electoral College despite losing the national popular vote, stunned pollsters and political analysts worldwide. His win represented a significant shift in American political alignment, drawing strong support from voters in traditionally Democratic-leaning industrial states.