Wednesday · November 11, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250th
On this day › November 4

What happened on November 4 in American history

November 4 is the 308th day of the year (the 309th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from November 4 spanning 1924 to 2008. Among them: in 1924, Wyoming elects Nellie Tayloe Ross governor; the widow who said no never campaigned; and in 1939, Roosevelt signs the Neutrality Act; Britain and France may now buy American arms for cash.

1924

Wyoming elects Nellie Tayloe Ross governor; the widow who said no never campaigned

A month after her husband's death, voters give her 55 percent of the ballots against Republican E. J. Sullivan.
1939Member story · 1776 Club

Roosevelt signs the Neutrality Act; Britain and France may now buy American arms for cash

The old embargo is repealed, but buyers must pay on the spot and haul the goods away themselves, and the Customs Service is ordered to enforce it.
1962

Tightrope flies from Johnston Island, and Operation Fishbowl is finished

A low-yield device on an XM-33 Strypi rocket ends the Atomic Energy Commission's high-altitude test series in the Pacific.
1979

Students storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran and seize hostages; they want the Shah sent home

Hundreds of students blindfold Marines and embassy staff and march them before photographers, with Washington's decision to shelter the exiled Shah as their stated grievance.
1980Member story · 1776 Club

Reagan carries 44 states and unseats President Carter

Inflation, a stalled economy and the hostages in Iran left Carter with six states and the District of Columbia.
2008Member story · 1776 Club

Obama wins the presidency; the Illinois senator is the first African American elected to the office

Joe Biden takes the vice presidency over Sarah Palin as John McCain loses the race to succeed George W. Bush.