November 2, Howard Hughes takes ‘Spruce Goose’ on its only flight

Today in History – November 2, 2025

Happy Sunday! Today is Sunday, Nov. 2, the 306th day of 2025. There are 59 days left in the year. Don’t forget that daylight saving time ends today!

Today in history:

On Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes took his Hughes H-4 Hercules, also known as the “Spruce Goose,” for its first and only flight. This massive wooden seaplane had a wingspan longer than a football field and managed to stay airborne for 26 seconds.

Other significant events on this date:

• In 1783, Gen. George Washington delivered his Farewell Address to the Army.
• In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln removed Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont from his command due to Fremont’s unauthorized actions in emancipating slaves in Missouri during the Civil War.
• In 1948, in a surprising turn of events, incumbent Democratic President Harry S. Truman defeated the heavily favored Republican governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, in the U.S. presidential election.
• In 1959, Charles Van Doren confessed to conspiring with television producers to cheat on the quiz show “Twenty-One.”
• In 1976, Jimmy Carter, a Democrat and former governor of Georgia, became the first Deep South candidate to be elected president since the Civil War, defeating Republican incumbent Gerald R. Ford.

Notable birthdays today:

• Tennis Hall of Famer Ken Rosewall turns 91.
• Political commentator Pat Buchanan celebrates his 87th birthday.
• Olympic gold medal wrestler Bruce Baumgartner is now 65.
• Singer-songwriter k.d. lang is 64 years old.
• Playwright Lynn Nottage turns 61 today.
• Actor David Schwimmer, known for his role in “Friends,” is 59 years old.
• Jazz singer Kurt Elling celebrates his 58th birthday.
• Rapper Nelly turns 51 today.
• Film director Jon Chu is 46 years old.
• TV personality Karamo Brown from “Queer Eye” is 45.
• NFL quarterback Jordan Love celebrates his 27th birthday.