Today in History: November 10, white supremacists stage coup in Wilmington, North Carolina

Today is Sunday, Nov. 10, the 315th day of 2024. There are 51 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 10, 1898, in Wilmington, North Carolina, a mob of as many as 2,000 white supremacists killed dozens of African Americans, burned Black-owned businesses and forced the mayor, police chief and aldermen to resign at gunpoint, before installing their own mayor and city council in what became known as the “Wilmington Coup.”

Also on this date:

In 1775, the U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress.

In 1954, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia.

In 1969, the children’s educational program “Sesame Street” made its debut on National Educational Television (now PBS).

In 1975, the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank after being caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior; all 29 crew members were lost.

In 2019, Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned after weeks of public protests in response to alleged election fraud in Bolivia’s general election the previous month.

In 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his murder trial, testifying that he was under attack and acting in self-defense when he shot and killed two men and wounded a third during a turbulent night of street protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (He would be acquitted of all charges.)

Today’s Birthdays: Lyricist Tim Rice is 80. Country singer Donna Fargo is 79. Film director Roland Emmerich is 69. Actor-comedian Sinbad is 68. Actor Mackenzie Phillips is 65. Author Neil Gaiman (GAY’-mihn) is 64. Actor Hugh Bonneville is 61. Actor-comedian Tommy Davidson is 61. Long jump world record holder Mike Powell is 61. Country singer Chris Cagle is 56....