Today is Friday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2019. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Nov. 8, 2000, a statewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Earlier that day, Vice President Al Gore had telephoned Texas Gov. George W. Bush to concede, but called back about an hour later to retract his concession.

On this date:

On Nov. 8, 1861, during the Civil War, the USS San Jacinto intercepted a British mail steamer, the Trent, and detained a pair of Confederate diplomats who were enroute to Europe to seek support for the Southern cause. (Although the Trent Affair strained relations between the United States and Britain, the matter was quietly resolved with the release of the diplomats the following January.)

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won re-election as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency.

In 1972, the premium cable TV network HBO (Home Box Office) made its debut with a showing of the movie “Sometimes a Great Notion.”

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 1987, 11 people were killed when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded as crowds gathered in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, for a ceremony honoring Britain’s war dead.

In 1994, midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

In 2002, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441, aimed at forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences.” President George W. Bush said the new resolution presented the Iraqi regime “with a final test.”

In 2004, after a decade, the U.S. dollar was eliminated from circulation in Cuba.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America’s 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice. Republicans kept their majorities in the Senate and House.

Ten years ago: The embattled president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, pledged there would be no place for corrupt officials in his new administration, as demanded by the U.S. and its international partners.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama introduced his choice for U.S. attorney general, Brooklyn federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch, to succeed Eric Holder. Two Americans held by North Korea, Matthew Miller of Bakersfield, Calif., and Kenneth Bae of Lynnwood, Wash., were released into the custody of James Clapper, the director of U.S. national intelligence.

One year ago: Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire in Northern California that would become the state’s deadliest ever, killing 86 people; authorities said the community of Paradise had been nearly destroyed by the flames. In a Supreme Court ceremony attended by President Donald Trump and new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, the court welcomed new Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had joined the high court the previous month. The Christie’s auction house said a wheelchair used by physicist Stephen Hawking had sold at auction for nearly $400,000, with proceeds going to two charities.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Norman Lloyd is 105. Actor Alain Delon is 84. Singer-actress Bonnie Bramlett is 75. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 70. TV personality Mary Hart is 69. Former Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 67. Actress Alfre Woodard is 67. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 65. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 65. Rock musician Pearl Thompson (The Cure) is 62. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 58. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 53. Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith is 52. Actress Parker Posey is 51. Rock musician Jimmy Chaney is 50. Actress Roxana Zal is 50. Singer Diana King is 49. Actor Gonzalo Menendez is 48. Rock musician Scott Devendorf (The National) is 47. Actress Gretchen Mol is 46. ABC News anchor David Muir is 46. Actor Matthew Rhys is 45. Actress Tara Reid is 44. Country singer Bucky Covington is 42. Actress Dania Ramirez is 40. Actress Azura Skye is 38. Actor Chris Rankin is 36. TV personality Jack Osbourne is 34. Actress Jessica Lowndes is 31. R&B singer SZA is 30. New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is 30. Singer-actor Riker Lynch is 28. Country singer Lauren Alaina is 25. Actor Van Crosby (TV: “Splitting Up Together”) is 17.

Thought for Today: “Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.” — Margaret Lee Runbeck, American author (1905-1956).