Barack Obama became the first African American to win a United States Presidential Election.
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Physicists in New Zealand observed a record-breaking solar flair.
462 non-violent inmates were released from Oklahoma prisons in the largest commutation in American history.
J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter Movie, 'The Philosopher's Stone,' premiered in Leicester Square, London, UK.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Hara Takashi, was assassinated in Tokyo.
The Paris Climate Change Agreement went into force.