What Happened on November 8?

November 8 is National Cappuccino Day — celebrating foamy espresso drinks — on the same date Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895, John F. Kennedy won the presidency in 1960, and Mount Holyoke opened doors for women's higher education in 1837.

• 1519 — Hernán Cortés and allies enter the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán

  On November 8, 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés entered Tenochtitlán — the magnificent Aztec capital in today's Mexico City. Read the full story →

• 1837 — Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opens in Massachusetts

  On November 8, 1837, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary — later Mount Holyoke College — opened under Mary Lyon's vision for women's higher education. Read the full story →

• 1892 — Grover Cleveland wins election to a second, nonconsecutive presidential term

  On November 8, 1892, Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison and returned to the White House — the first U.S. president elected to two nonconsecutive terms. Read the full story →

• 1895 — Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays

  On November 8, 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered mysterious rays that could photograph bones — X-rays. Read the full story →

• 1923 — Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch begins in Munich

  On November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler and Nazis attempted a coup in Munich known as the Beer Hall Putsch — it failed within a day. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Edmond Halley (1656–1742) · Bram Stoker (1847–1912) · Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949) · Bonnie Raitt (1949)

Days & observances

National Cappuccino Day · World Radiography Day · STEM/Girls in STEM Day (U.S. listings) · National Parents as Teachers Day