posted April 13, 2008 01:08 AM            

In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.

In 1649, one vote literally cost King Charles I of England his head. The vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for -- the ax fell thanks to one vote.

In 1714, one vote placed King George I on the throne of England and restored the monarchy.

In 1800, when the results of the electoral college votes were opened by both Houses of Congress, there was a tie vote for President between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election of President into the House of Representatives where Thomas Jefferson was elected our third president by a one vote margin.

In 1824, the House of Representatives defeated front runner Andrew Jackson by one vote and elected John Quincy Adams as the nation's 6th president.

In 1845, Texas was admitted to the union as a state by one vote -- that of Edward A. Hannigan from Indiana. The 1844 and 1845 excerpts on the series of single votes leading to Texas statehood are from the book Magnificent Destiny.

In 1846, a one vote margin in the U.S. Senate approved President Polk's request for a Declaration of War against Mexico.

In 1850, California was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote.

In 1859, Oregon was admitted to the union by a margin of one vote.

The Alaska Purchase of 1867 was ratified by just one vote -- paving the way for the eventual annexation of America's largest state in 1958.

In 1868, one vote in the U.S. Senate saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.

In 1889, by a one vote margin, Washington was admitted to statehood with the union.

In 1890, by a one vote margin, Idaho became a state.

On November 8, 1923, members of the then recently-formed revolutionary political party met to elect a leader in a Munich, Germany beer hall. By a majority of one vote, they chose an ex-soldier named Adolph Hitler to become the Nazi Party leader.

In 1941, the Selective Service Act (the draft) was passed by a one vote margin -- just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

In 1962, the governors of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota were all elected by a margin of one vote per precinct.

In 1993, the U.S. Senate approved a tax increase by one vote.

In 1994, the U.S. House of Representatives enacted a law banning specific classes of assault weapons. The vote was initially tied but one member changed his vote to approve the ban.