What Happened on November 2?
November 2 is National Cookie Monster Day — celebrating Sesame Street's cookie-loving Muppet — on the same date the Dakotas joined the Union in 1889, the Spruce Goose flew in 1947, MLK Day became law in 1983, and the first ISS crew arrived in 2000.
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1889 — North Dakota and South Dakota become U.S. states
On November 2, 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota joined the Union as the 39th and 40th states. Read the full story →
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1917 — Britain issues the Balfour Declaration on Palestine
On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote a letter supporting a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine. Read the full story →
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1947 — Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose makes its only flight
On November 2, 1947, the enormous Hughes H-4 Hercules flying boat — nicknamed the Spruce Goose — flew briefly in California. Read the full story →
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1960 — Penguin Books wins the Lady Chatterley's Lover obscenity trial
On November 2, 1960, a London jury cleared Penguin Books of obscenity for publishing D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover — a landmark free-speech case. Read the full story →
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1983 — President Reagan signs the bill creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) · k.d. lang (1961) · David Schwimmer (1966) · Nelly (1974)
Days & observances
National Cookie Monster Day · All Souls' Day · Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) · National Deviled Egg Day