Today is Friday, Nov. 1, the 306th day of 2024. There are 60 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 1, 1938, in a two-horse match race, Seabiscuit defeated the favored Triple Crown winner War Admiral by four lengths in what was dubbed the “Race of the Century” at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Also on this date:

In 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.

In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.

In 1894, Nicholas II became Emperor of Russia, succeeding his late father Alexander III.

In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an “axis” running between Rome and Berlin.

In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, D.C., in a failed attempt to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. (One of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.)

In 1982, the first Japanese car produced in the U.S. rolled off the assembly line at the Honda manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio.

In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West.

In 1995, peace talks opened in Dayton, Ohio, with the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia present.

Today’s Birthdays: Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player is 89. Football Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks is 77. Music producer David Foster is 75. Musician Lyle Lovett is 67. Apple CEO Tim Cook is 64. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 62. Country singer “Big Kenny” Alphin (Big and Rich) is 61. Actor Toni Collette is 52. Actor-TV host Jenny McCarthy is 52. Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is 51. Football Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson is 47. Actor Natalia Tena is 40. Actor Penn Badgley is 38. Actor Anthony Ramos is 33.