Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
On this day
A curious almanac of what happened on November 2 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
A peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front ends the two-year Tigray War.
History
A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is killed in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals with the consent of Emperor Gaozu.
French factions agree to a truce with the Peace of Bicêtre, temporarily halting the Armagnac, Burgundian Civil War.
Josiah Winslow leads a colonial militia in an attack on the Narragansett during King Philip's War.
Four British naval vessels wreck on the Isles of Scilly due to navigational errors, a disaster that spurs Parliament to pass the Longitude Act seven years later.
The French Directory is established as a five-member executive council to govern France following the revolution.
A devastating fire ravages the heart of Oulu's city center, causing extensive damage.
North Dakota and South Dakota become the 39th and 40th states of the United States.
Lyndon B. Johnson meets with "The Wise Men" to decide on issuing more optimistic reports about the Vietnam War's progress.
Tropical Storm Linda strikes the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, killing more than 3,000 people and becoming one of the deadliest storms in the country's history.
The Chicago Cubs end their 108-year championship drought by defeating the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.
A gunman sympathetic to ISIL kills four and wounds 23 in Vienna's Innere Stadt district before being shot dead by police.
A peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front ends the two-year Tigray War.
Born today
Indian film actor, producer and television host
Shah Rukh Khan, known as the "King Khan" of Bollywood, turns 59 today with a career spanning more than 100 films and numerous accolades including a National Film Award.
Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
1709 – 1759
Indian journalist, economist, and politician, Indian Minister of Communications
b. 1941 · 85
American basketball player
b. 1952 · 74
American baseball player and manager
b. 1958 · 68
American rapper
b. 1974 · 52
French race car driver
b. 1975 · 51
Music
🇬🇧 #1 on November 2, 1981
by Adam and the Ants
The dandy highwayman spent five weeks at the top — a brash, glam-pop coronation.
Also #1 on this day
Film & TV
Box-office #1
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
November 2, 2016
The Chicago Cubs end their 108-year championship drought by defeating the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.
Read the storyNovember 2, 1947
Howard Hughes flies the massive H-4 Hercules, known as the "Spruce Goose," the largest fixed-wing aircraft until the Stratolaunch's debut.
Read the storyToday is also
International
Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s
International
The Day of the Dead is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality
International
Dziady is a term in East and West Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, celebrations, rituals and customs that were dedicated to them
International
Indian Arrival Day is a public holiday that was first started in Trinidad and Tobago to celebrate the East Indian immigrants arrival to the nation during the indentureship period
International
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) is a UN-recognized international day observed annually on 2 November
International
A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government