In the United States presidential election of 1880, held on November 2, RepublicanJames A. Garfield was elected over DemocratWinfield Scott Hancock. Garfield was an Ohio Congressman; Hancock was a Pennsylvania-born career army officer. Both were Civil War generals, as was a third candidate, Iowa Congressman James B. Weaver, nominated by the left-wing Greenback Party in a challenge to the dominance of the two major parties. In a campaign fought mainly over issues of Civil War loyalties, tariffs, and Chinese immigration, Garfield and Hancock each took just over 48 percent of the popular vote. Weaver and two other candidates made up the remainder. The voter turnout percentage was among the highest in the nation's history. In the end, the two main candidates' popular vote totals were separated by fewer than 2,000 votes, the smallest US presidentialpopular vote margin ever recorded. Garfield's victory was decisive in the electoral college, as he won nearly all the populous Northern states for a 214 to 155 victory. (Full article...)
1957 – The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 2 spacecraft, carrying Laika(pictured on stamp) the Russian space dog as the first living creature from Earth to enter orbit.
Maddison Elliott (b. 1998) is an Australian swimmer. She is S8 classified, having right side cerebral palsy as a result of a neonatal stroke. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she became the youngest Australian Paralympic medallist by winning bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 100 m freestyle S8 events. She then became the youngest Australian gold medallist when she was a member of the women's 4 x 100m freestyle relay 34 points team.
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