This Day in History - November 7

Looking back at this day in history, in nineteen eighty-three, a bomb exploded inside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. No one was hurt, though the blast caused a lot of damage. Moving forward to nineteen ninety-four, WXYC, a student radio station at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, began the world’s first internet radio broadcast. Ten years later, in two thousand four, Iraq’s interim government called for a sixty-day state of emergency as United States forces entered the city of Fallujah, where armed groups were fighting. More recently, in two thousand twelve, an earthquake off Guatemala’s Pacific coast killed at least fifty-two people. Then, in two thousand twenty-three, Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa resigned after news of a corruption investigation involving members of his government. These events show how much can happen on the same day across the years.

(UPDATED November 7, 2026 09:01 UTC)

In 1983, a bomb exploded inside the Capitol, injuring nobody. In 1994, WXYC launched the world's first internet radio broadcast. In 2004, Iraq's interim government declared emergency as U.S. forces stormed Fallujah. In 2012, an earthquake off Guatemala's Pacific coast killed at least 52 people. In 2023, António Costa resigned as Portugal's prime minister amid a corruption investigation.