1) On November 2, 1795, the cornerstone was laid for the President's House, which would later become known as the White House. President George Washington selected the site and oversaw the beginning of construction.
2) In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was re-elected for a second term after a contentious and difficult campaign amid the ongoing Civil War. He won by a comfortable margin in the popular vote and carried an overwhelming majority of electoral votes.
3) November 2, 1889, marked the date of the first electric streetcar ride in Washington, D.C. The system would eventually expand to become one of the largest and most efficient streetcar networks in the country.
4) The first national women's conference in the United States was held on November 2, 1977, in Houston, Texas. The conference brought together women from all over the country to discuss issues related to gender equality and women's rights.
5) In 2004, the Washington Nationals baseball team announced that they would be moving to the District of Columbia from Montreal, Canada. The team played their first season in D.C. in 2005, and has since become an important part of the city's sports culture.