November 4th, 1920: Air mail service has opened between U.S. and Canada. The first route had been planned from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, B.C. The pilot of the plane was scheduled to meet all boats arriving and departing from the British Columbia capital area.
November 4th, 1979: Militant student followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran taking 90 hostages. The students were enraged that the deposed Shah had been allowed to enter the United States for medical treatment and they threatened to murder hostages if any rescue was attempted. No diplomatic solution could be found and President Carter ordered a rescue mission in which eight U.S. military personnel were killed and no hostages rescued. The hostages were held in captivity for 14 months and were eventually released when the US Government released $3 billion in frozen Iranian assets and promised $5 billion more in financial aid.
