November 15: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign

About November 15

November 15 is a day of declarations and new beginnings. Brazil transformed from an empire into a republic on this date in 1889 when Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca deposed Emperor Pedro II in a military coup, a moment now celebrated annually as Republic Proclamation Day. Nearly a century later in 1988, the Palestinian National Council unilaterally proclaimed an independent State of Palestine. And in 1917, Finland's parliament declared itself the supreme state power, setting in motion its secession from Russia.

The date also marks giant leaps in science and technology. Intel released the 4005, the world's first commercial single-chip microprocessor, in 1971—laying groundwork for the digital age. In 1966, Gemini 12 splashed down safely, closing out NASA's Gemini program. Craig Breedlove roared across the Bonneville Salt Flats at 600.601 mph in 1965, and in 1988 the Soviet Union's uncrewed shuttle Buran completed its only space flight. Meanwhile, the League of Nations held its first assembly in Geneva in 1920, and the world's first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, launched in the Netherlands in 1988.

Born under the sign of Scorpio, November 15 has welcomed an extraordinary range of creative and intellectual forces—from painter Georgia O'Keeffe and astronomer William Herschel to conductor Daniel Barenboim and fashion designer Roberto Cavalli. Perhaps it's fitting that a day so marked by transformation also gave us the moment humanity reached eight billion in 2022.

Holidays & Observances on November 15

• America Recycles Day (United States)
• Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium (German-speaking Community of Belgium)
• Day of the Imprisoned Writer (International observance)
• Independence Day, unilaterally declared in 1988. (Palestine)
• King's Feast (Belgium)
• National Tree Planting Day (Sri Lanka)
• Peace Day (Ivory Coast)
• Republic Proclamation Day (Brazil)

Fun & National Days on November 15

• Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day — Tackle that science experiment in the back of the fridge before it evolves enough to demand voting rights.
• National Bundt Day — Bake or buy a beautiful ring-shaped cake and celebrate the pan that makes every dessert look effortlessly elegant.
• I Love to Write Day — Grab a pen, open a blank document, and finally start that story, letter, or journal entry you've been postponing.
• American Enterprise Day
• George Spelvin Day
• Little Red Wagon Day
• National Philanthropy Day
• National Raisin Bran Cereal Day