Howard Hughes piloted his Hughes H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the “Spruce Goose,” on its only flight; a massive wooden seaplane with a wingspan longer than a football field.
Today is Sunday, Nov. 2, the 306th day of 2025. There are 59 days left in the year. Daylight saving time ends today.Today in history:
On Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes piloted his Hughes H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the “Spruce Goose,” on its only flight; a massive wooden seaplane with a wingspan longer than a football field, it remained airborne for 26 seconds.Also on this date:
In 1783, Gen. George Washington issued his Farewell Address to the Army.
In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln relieved Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont of his command of the Army’s Western Department, following Fremont’s unauthorized efforts to emancipate slaves in Missouri.
In 1948, in one of the most unexpected results in U.S. presidential election history, Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeated the heavily favored Republican governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey.
In 1959, Charles Van Doren testified before a congressional committee that he had conspired with television producers to cheat on the television quiz show “Twenty-One.
