Events

Pre-1600

  • 332 BC – Alexander the Great is crowned pharaoh of Egypt.

1601–1900

  • 1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
  • 1770 – James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile.
  • 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: At the Battle of Smoliani, French Marshals Victor and Oudinot are defeated by the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein.
  • 1851 – Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville, is published in the USA.
  • 1889 – Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days.

1901–present

  • 1910 – Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performs the first takeoff from a ship in Hampton Roads, Virginia, taking off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss pusher.
  • 1914 – The Joensuu City Hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen, was inaugurated in Joensuu, Finland.
  • 1918 – The Provisional National Assembly of the new republic of Czechoslovakia meets to devise a constitution.
  • 1920 – Pesäpallo, the Finnish version of baseball developed by Lauri Pihkala, is played for the first time at Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki.
  • 1921 – The Communist Party of Spain is founded, and issues the first edition of Mundo obrero.
  • 1922 – The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom.
  • 1938 – The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic.
  • 1940 – World War II: In England, Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed.
  • 1941 – World War II: The aircraft carrier sinks due to torpedo damage from the sustained on November 13.
  • 1941 – World War II: German troops, aided by local auxiliaries, murder nine thousand residents of the Słonim Ghetto in a single day.
  • 1952 – The New Musical Express publishes the first regular UK Singles Chart.
  • 1957 – The "Apalachin meeting" in rural Tioga County in upstate New York is raided by law enforcement; many high-level Mafia figures are arrested while trying to flee.
  • 1960 – Ruby Bridges becomes the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana.
  • 1965 – Vietnam War: The Battle of Ia Drang begins. This is the first major engagement between regular American and North Vietnamese forces.
  • 1967 – The Congress of Colombia, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of Policarpa Salavarrieta, declares this day as "Day of the Colombian Woman".
  • 1967 – American physicist Theodore Maiman is given a patent for his ruby laser systems, the world's first laser.
  • 1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to the surface of the Moon.
  • 1970 – Soviet Union enters ICAO, making Russian the fourth official language of organization.
  • 1970 – Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia, killing 75, including almost all of the Marshall University football team.
  • 1971 – Mariner 9 enters orbit around Mars.
  • 1973 – In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1973 – The Athens Polytechnic uprising, a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–74, begins.
  • 1975 – With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain abandons Western Sahara.
  • 1977 – During a British House of Commons debate, Labour MP Tam Dalyell poses what would become known as the West Lothian question, referring to issues related to devolution in the United Kingdom.
  • 1978 – France conducts the Aphrodite nuclear test as 25th in the group of 29 1975–78 French nuclear tests.
  • 1979 – US President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States in response to the hostage crisis.
  • 1982 – Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, is released after eleven months of internment near the Soviet border.
  • 1984 – Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city.
  • 1990 – After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder–Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland.
  • 1990 – While on approach to Zurich Airport, Alitalia Flight 404 crashes into Stadlerberg Mountain near Weiach, killing 46.
  • 1991 – American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.
  • 1991 – Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after thirteen years in exile.
  • 1992 – In poor conditions caused by Cyclone Forrest, Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 crashes near Nha Trang, killing 30.
  • 1995 – A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress forces the federal government to temporarily close national parks and museums and to run most government offices with skeleton staffs.
  • 2001 – War in Afghanistan: Afghan Northern Alliance fighters take over the capital Kabul.
  • 2001 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes a remote part of the Tibetan Plateau. It has the longest known surface rupture recorded on land (~400 km) and is the best documented example of a supershear earthquake.
  • 2003 – Astronomers discover Sedna, a distant trans-Neptunian dwarf planet.
  • 2008 – The first G-20 economic summit opens in Washington, D.C.
  • 2008 – Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-126 to continue assembly of the International Space Station.
  • 2012 – Israel launches a major military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to an escalation of rocket attacks by Hamas.
  • 2016 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Kaikōura, New Zealand, at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), resulting in the deaths of two people.
  • 2017 – A gunman kills four people and injures 12 others during a shooting spree across Rancho Tehama, California. He had earlier murdered his wife in their home.
  • 2019 – A mass shooting occurs at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, resulting in three deaths, including that of the perpetrator, and three injuries.

Births

Pre-1600

  • 1449 – Sidonie of Poděbrady, daughter of King of Bohemia (died 1510)
  • 1487 – John III of Pernstein, Bohemian land-owner, Governor of Moravia and Count of Kladsko (died 1548)
  • 1501 – Anna of Oldenburg, Regent of East Frisia (died 1575)
  • 1531 – Richard Topcliffe, English torturer (died 1604)

1601–1900

  • 1601 – John Eudes, French priest and missionary (died 1680)
  • 1650 – William III of England, Prince of Orange, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (died 1702)
  • 1663 – Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, German organist and composer (died 1712)
  • 1719 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1787)
  • 1765 – Robert Fulton, American engineer, early steamboat pioneer (died 1815)
  • 1771 – Marie François Xavier Bichat, French anatomist and physiologist (died 1802)
  • 1776 – Henri Dutrochet, French physician, botanist, and physiologist (died 1847)
  • 1777 – Nathaniel Claiborne, American farmer and politician (died 1859)
  • 1778 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1837)
  • 1779 – Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (died 1850)
  • 1797 – Charles Lyell, Scottish geologist (died 1875)
  • 1803 – Jacob Abbott, American author (died 1879)
  • 1805 – Fanny Hensel, German pianist and composer (died 1847)
  • 1812 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet (died 1878)
  • 1812 – Maria Cristina of Savoy (died 1836)
  • 1816 – John Curwen, English minister and educator (died 1880)
  • 1828 – James B. McPherson, American general (died 1864)
  • 1832 – Henry Strangways, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of South Australia (died 1920)
  • 1838 – August Šenoa, Croatian author, poet, and critic (died 1881)
  • 1840 – Claude Monet, French painter (died 1926)
  • 1856 – Madeleine Lemoyne Ellicott, American activist (died 1945)
  • 1861 – Frederick Jackson Turner, American historian and author (died 1932)
  • 1863 – Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (died 1944)
  • 1869 – John Lumsden, Irish physician, founded the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland (died 1944)
  • 1871 – Wajed Ali Khan Panni, Bengali aristocrat and philanthropist (died 1936)
  • 1875 – Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general and politician (died 1899)
  • 1875 – Jakob Schaffner, Swiss author and activist (died 1944)
  • 1877 – Norman Brookes, Australian tennis player (died 1968)
  • 1878 – Julie Manet, French painter and art collector (died 1966)
  • 1878 – Leopold Staff, Ukrainian-Polish poet and academic (died 1957)
  • 1883 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (died 1942)
  • 1889 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (died 1964)
  • 1891 – Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1941)
  • 1893 – Addie Viola Smith, American lawyer and trade commissioner (died 1975)
  • 1895 – Walter Jackson Freeman II, American physician and psychiatrist (died 1972)
  • 1897 – John Steuart Curry, American painter and academic (died 1946)
  • 1898 – Benjamin Fondane, Romanian-French philosopher, poet, and critic (died 1944)
  • 1900 – Aaron Copland, American composer, conductor, and educator (died 1990)

1901–present

  • 1904 – Harold Haley, American lawyer and judge (died 1970)
  • 1904 – Harold Larwood, English-Australian cricketer (died 1995)
  • 1904 – Dick Powell, American actor, singer, director, and producer (died 1963)
  • 1905 – John Henry Barbee, American singer and guitarist (died 1964)
  • 1906 – Louise Brooks, American actress and dancer (died 1985)
  • 1907 – Howard W. Hunter, American religious leader, 14th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (died 1995)
  • 1907 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (died 2002)
  • 1907 – William Steig, American author, illustrator, and sculptor (died 2003)
  • 1908 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, and politician (died 1957)
  • 1910 – Eric Malpass, English author (died 1996)
  • 1912 – Barbara Hutton, American philanthropist (died 1979)
  • 1912 – Tung-Yen Lin, Chinese-American engineer, designed the Guandu Bridge (died 2003)
  • 1914 – Ken Carson, American Western singer (died 1994)
  • 1915 – Mabel Fairbanks, American figure skater and coach (died 2001)
  • 1915 – Martha Tilton, American singer and actress (died 2006)
  • 1916 – Roger Apéry, Greek-French mathematician and academic (died 1994)
  • 1916 – Sherwood Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (died 2011)
  • 1917 – Park Chung Hee, South Korean general and politician, 3rd President of South Korea (died 1979)
  • 1918 – John Bromwich, Australian tennis player (died 1999)
  • 1919 – Johnny Desmond, American singer (died 1985)
  • 1919 – Lisa Otto, German soprano and actress (died 2013)
  • 1920 – Mary Greyeyes, the first First Nations woman to join the Canadian Armed Forces (died 2011)
  • 1921 – Ea Jansen, Estonian historian and academic (died 2005)
  • 1921 – Brian Keith, American actor and director (died 1997)
  • 1922 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary General of the United Nations (died 2016)
  • 1932 – Gunter Sachs, German astrologer and photographer (died 2011)
  • 1933 – Fred Haise, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1945 – Brett Lunger, American race car driver
  • 1946 – Bharathan, Indian director and screenwriter (died 1998)
  • 1946 – Roland Duchâtelet, Belgian businessman and politician
  • 1947 – P. J. O'Rourke, American political satirist and journalist (died 2022) and 14 other Commonwealth realms
  • 1948 – Paul Dacre, English journalist
  • 1948 – Michael Dobbs, English author and politician
  • 1948 – Robert Ginty, American actor and producer (died 2009)
  • 1949 – Raúl di Blasio, Argentinian pianist, composer, and producer
  • 1949 – Enzo Cucchi, Italian painter
  • 1949 – Gary Grubbs, American actor
  • 1949 – Ryo Hayami, Japanese actor
  • 1949 – James Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Dominique de Villepin, Moroccan-French lawyer and politician, 167th Prime Minister of France
  • 1954 – Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican baseball player (died 2023)
  • 1954 – Bernard Hinault, French cyclist
  • 1954 – Condoleezza Rice, American political scientist, academic, and politician, 66th United States Secretary of State
  • 1954 – Eliseo Salazar, Chilean race car driver
  • 1954 – Yanni, Greek-American pianist, composer, and producer
  • 1959 – Paul Attanasio, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1959 – Paul McGann, English actor
  • 1961 – D. B. Sweeney, American actor
  • 1966 – Charles Hazlewood, English conductor
  • 1966 – Petra Rossner, German cyclist
  • 1967 – Nina Gordon, American singer-songwriter
  • 1968 – Lionel Simmons, American basketball player
  • 1969 – Butch Walker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1971 – Adam Gilchrist, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Vikas Khanna, Indian chef and author
  • 1971 – Marco Leonardi, Australian-Italian actor
  • 1972 – Matt Bloom, American wrestler, trainer, and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Josh Duhamel, American model and actor
  • 1973 – Andrew Strong, Irish singer and actor
  • 1974 – Adina Howard, American singer-songwriter and chef
  • 1974 – Sofie Merckx, Belgian politician
  • 1974 – David Moscow, American actor
  • 1974 – Joe Principe, American singer and bass player
  • 1975 – Travis Barker, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1984 – Lisa De Vanna, Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Courtney Johns, Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Marija Šerifović, Serbian singer
  • 1985 – Thomas Vermaelen, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Kalisto, Mexican-American wrestler
  • 1986 – Danielle Page, American-Serbian basketball player and coach
  • 1986 – Cory Michael Smith, American actor
  • 1989 – Jake Livermore, English footballer
  • 1989 – Stella Maeve, American actress
  • 1991 – Taylor Hall, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1991 – Graham Patrick Martin, American actor
  • 1993 – Francisco Lindor, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1993 – Shūhei Nomura, Japanese actor
  • 1993 – Samuel Umtiti, French footballer
  • 1996 – Borna Ćorić, Croatian tennis player
  • 1996 – Dawson Knox, American football player
  • 1997 – Noussair Mazraoui, Moroccan footballer
  • 1997 – Christopher Nkunku, French footballer
  • 1997 – Axel Tuanzebe, English-Congolese footballer
  • 1998 – Sofia Kenin, American tennis player
  • 1998 – DeVonta Smith, American football player
  • 2000 – Xiyeon, South Korean singer and actress

Deaths

Pre-1600

  • 565 – Justinian I, Byzantine emperor (born 482)
  • 669 – Fujiwara no Kamatari, Japanese politician (born 614)
  • 940 – Abu'l-Fadl al-Bal'ami, Samanid vizier
  • 976 – Taizu, Chinese emperor (born 927)
  • 1060 – Geoffrey II, count of Anjou
  • 1189 – William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex
  • 1226 – Frederick of Isenberg, German politician (born 1193)
  • 1263 – Alexander Nevsky, Russian saint (born 1220)
  • 1346 – Ostasio I da Polenta, Lord of Ravenna
  • 1359 – Gregory Palamas, Greek archbishop and saint (born 1296)
  • 1391 – Nikola Tavelić, Croatian missionary and saint (born 1340)
  • 1442 – Yolande of Aragon, French noblewoman (born 1384)
  • 1522 – Anne of France, duchess of Bourbon (born 1461)
  • 1539 – Hugh Faringdon, English monk and abbot
  • 1556 – Giovanni della Casa, Italian archbishop and poet (born 1504)

1601–1900

  • 1633 – William Ames, English philosopher and academic (born 1576)
  • 1687 – Nell Gwyn, English mistress of Charles II of England (born 1650)
  • 1691 – Tosa Mitsuoki, Japanese painter (born 1617)
  • 1716 – Gottfried Leibniz, German mathematician and philosopher (born 1646)
  • 1734 – Louise de Kérouaille, duchess of Portsmouth (born 1649)
  • 1739 – Juan de Galavís, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop of Santo Domingo and Bogotá (born 1683)
  • 1746 – Georg Wilhelm Steller, German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer (born 1709)
  • 1749 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (born 1713)
  • 1817 – Policarpa Salavarrieta, Colombian seamstress and spy (born 1795)
  • 1825 – Jean Paul, German journalist and author (born 1763)
  • 1829 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist and chemist (born 1763)
  • 1831 – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher, author, and academic (born 1770)
  • 1831 – Ignaz Pleyel, Austrian-French composer and piano builder (born 1757)
  • 1832 – Charles Carroll of Carrollton, American farmer and politician (born 1737)
  • 1844 – John Abercrombie, Scottish physician and philosopher (born 1780)
  • 1844 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (born 1803)
  • 1864 – Franz Müller, German tailor and murderer (born 1840)
  • 1866 – Miguel I of Portugal (born 1802)

1901–present

  • 1907 – Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1848)
  • 1908 – Guangxu Emperor of China (born 1871)
  • 1910 – John La Farge, American artist (born 1835)
  • 1914 – Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar, Indian lawyer and journalist (born 1861)
  • 1915 – Booker T. Washington, American educator, essayist and historian (born 1856)
  • 1916 – Henry George, Jr., American journalist and politician (born 1862)
  • 1916 – Saki, British short story writer (born 1870)
  • 1918 – Matti Lonkainen, Finnish politician (born 1874)
  • 1921 – Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (born 1846)
  • 1930 – Sandy Pearce, Australian rugby league player (born 1883)
  • 1932 – Charles Hylton Stewart, English organist and composer (born 1884)
  • 1937 – Jack O'Connor, American baseball player and manager (born 1866)
  • 1939 – Bluey, Australian cattle dog, oldest verified dog (born 1910)
  • 1944 – Carl Flesch, Hungarian violinist and educator (born 1873)
  • 1944 – Trafford Leigh-Mallory, English air marshal (born 1892)
  • 1946 – Manuel de Falla, Spanish pianist and composer (born 1876)
  • 1947 – Joseph Allard, Canadian fiddler and composer (born 1873)
  • 1966 – Peter Baker, English captain, author, and politician (born 1921)
  • 1972 – Martin Dies, Jr., American lawyer and politician (born 1900)
  • 1974 – Johnny Mack Brown, American football player, actor, and singer (born 1904)
  • 1977 – A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indian monk and guru, founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (born 1896)
  • 1981 – Robert Bradford, Irish footballer and politician (born 1941)
  • 1984 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of Zamboanga City (born 1916)
  • 1984 – Nikitas Platis, Greek actor and cinematographer (born 1912)
  • 1988 – Haywood S. Hansell, American general (born 1903)
  • 1989 – Jimmy Murphy, Welsh footballer, manager, assistant manager, coach, and scout (born 1910)
  • 1990 – Sol Kaplan, American composer and conductor (born 1919)
  • 1991 – Tony Richardson, English-American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928)
  • 1992 – Ernst Happel, Austrian footballer and coach (born 1925)
  • 1994 – Tom Villard, American actor (born 1953)
  • 1995 – Jack Finney, American author and screenwriter (born 1911)
  • 1996 – Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (born 1928)
  • 1996 – John A. Cade, American soldier and politician (born 1929)
  • 1997 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey and sportscaster (born 1916)
  • 1997 – Jack Pickersgill, Canadian educator and politician, 35th Secretary of State for Canada (born 1905)
  • 2000 – Robert Trout, American journalist (born 1908)
  • 2001 – Charlotte Coleman, English actress (born 1968)
  • 2001 – Juan Carlos Lorenzo, Argentinian footballer and manager (born 1922)
  • 2002 – Eddie Bracken, American actor (born 1915)
  • 2002 – Elena Nikolaidi, Greek-American soprano and educator (born 1909)
  • 2003 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (born 1962)
  • 2004 – Michel Colombier, French-American composer and conductor (born 1939)
  • 2006 – Sumner Shapiro, American admiral (born 1926)
  • 2008 – Kristin Hunter, American author and academic (born 1931)
  • 2008 – Robert E. Valett, American psychologist, teacher, and author (born 1927)
  • 2010 – Wes Santee, American runner (born 1932)
  • 2011 – Esin Afşar, Italian-Turkish singer and actress (born 1936)
  • 2011 – Neil Heywood, English-Chinese businessman (born 1970)
  • 2011 – Jackie Leven, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950)
  • 2012 – Alexandro Alves do Nascimento, Brazilian footballer (born 1974)
  • 2012 – Brian Davies, Australian rugby player and manager (born 1930)
  • 2012 – Martin Fay, Irish fiddler (born 1936)
  • 2012 – Ahmed Jabari, Palestinian commander (born 1960)
  • 2012 – Abubakar Olusola Saraki, Nigerian physician and politician (born 1933)
  • 2013 – Sudhir Bhat, Indian producer and manager (born 1951)
  • 2013 – Hari Krishna Devsare, Indian journalist and author (born 1938)
  • 2013 – Bennett Masinga, South African footballer (born 1965)
  • 2014 – Eugene Dynkin, Russian-American mathematician and theorist (born 1924)
  • 2014 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (born 1937)
  • 2014 – Morteza Pashaei, Iranian singer-songwriter (born 1984)
  • 2015 – Nick Bockwinkel, American professional wrestler (born 1934)
  • 2015 – K. S. Gopalakrishnan, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1929)
  • 2015 – Warren Mitchell, English actor and screenwriter (born 1926)
  • 2016 – Gwen Ifill, American television journalist (born 1955)
  • 2020 – Peter Florjancic, Slovene inventor and Olympic athlete (born 1919)
  • 2020 – Des O'Connor, English comedian, singer and television presenter (born 1932)
  • 2024 – Vic Flick, English guitarist (born 1937)
  • 2024 – Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer (born 1943)

Holidays and observances

  • Anniversary of the Movement of Readjustment (Guinea-Bissau)
  • Children's Day, celebrated on the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru (previously on November 20). (India)
  • Christian feast day:
  • Alberic of Utrecht
  • All Saints of the Carmelites
  • All Souls of the Benedictine family
  • Barlaam of Kiev (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Dubricius (Dyfrig, or Devereux)
  • Hypatius of Gangra
  • Joseph Pignatelli SJ
  • Justinian I (Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran Church)
  • Laurence O'Toole
  • Nikola Tavelic
  • Philip the Apostle (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Samuel Seabury (Anglican Communion)
  • Serapion of Algiers
  • Sidonius (Saëns)
  • Venera (Veneranda)
  • November 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Colombian Woman (Colombia)
  • Mobile Brigade Day (Indonesia)
  • World Diabetes Day (International)
  • Dobruja Day (Romania)

References