November 20: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On November 20, 1947, a future queen married her prince at Westminster Abbey—the same day a whaling ship was sunk by a massive sperm whale, inspiring Moby-Dick.
About November 20
November 20 brims with movements for justice and fresh starts. In Brazil, Black Awareness Day honors Zumbi dos Palmares, the legendary leader of a fugitive-slave community who fell in battle on this date in 1695. Mexico remembers the 1910 issuance of the Plan de San Luis Potosí, which called citizens to rise against Porfirio Díaz and ignited the Mexican Revolution. And since 1959, the United Nations has observed World Children's Day, marking adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
The date also delivered seismic shifts in geopolitics and culture. New Jersey proudly became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights in 1789. In 1977, Egypt's Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel, speaking before the Knesset in pursuit of peace. And in 1985, Microsoft released Windows 1.0, quietly launching the graphical computing era that would reshape daily life worldwide.
Amid the grand currents of history are moments of art and courage. Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, premiered in Vienna in 1805. In 1820, an enraged sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essex, 3,200 kilometers off South America—a ordeal Herman Melville later wove into Moby-Dick. And in 1947, Princess Elizabeth wed Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey, beginning a partnership that would span seven decades on the British throne.
Holidays & Observances on November 20
- 20-N (Spain)
- Africa Industrialization Day (international)
- Black Awareness Day (Brazil)
- Children's Day (World Children's Day)
- Earliest day on which the Feast of Christ the King can fall, while November 26 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent. (Roman Catholic Church)
- National Sovereignty Day (Argentina)
- Day of the Mexican Revolution (Mexico)
- Royal Thai Navy Day (Thailand)
Fun & National Days on November 20
- National Peanut Butter Fudge Day — Whip up a batch of velvety peanut butter fudge and savor every melt-in-your-mouth bite.
- Name Your PC Day — Give your trusty computer a proper name—it deserves an identity after all those years of service.
- Beautiful Day — Step outside, breathe deeply, and find one beautiful thing worth celebrating today.
- Future Teachers of America Day — Thank a teacher who shaped your life and inspired the next generation of classroom leaders.
- Globally Organized Hug a Runner Day
- International STAND UP to Bullying Day
- National Absurdity Day
- Transgender Day of Remembrance
On This Day in History
- 284 — Diocletian was chosen as Roman emperor, beginning a reign that would reshape the empire's administration and stabilize its borders.
- 1695 — Zumbi, the last leader of Brazil's Quilombo dos Palmares, was executed by Portuguese forces, becoming an enduring symbol of resistance.
- 1789 — New Jersey became the first U.S. state to ratify the Bill of Rights, setting a precedent for safeguarding individual liberties.
- 1805 — Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, premiered in Vienna, celebrating courage and conjugal devotion through music.
- 1820 — An 80-ton sperm whale attacked and sank the Nantucket whaling ship Essex, 3,200 km off South America, later inspiring Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.
- 1910 — Francisco I. Madero issued the Plan de San Luis Potosí, denouncing Porfirio Díaz and effectively launching the Mexican Revolution.
- 1945 — The Nuremberg trials began at the Palace of Justice, prosecuting 24 Nazi war criminals for atrocities committed during World War II.
- 1947 — Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey, beginning a royal partnership lasting over seven decades.
- 1962 — President Kennedy ended the U.S. quarantine of Cuba after the Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles, concluding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- 1977 — Egypt's Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, addressing the Knesset in pursuit of lasting peace.
- 1985 — Microsoft released Windows 1.0, introducing a graphical computing environment that would transform personal computing.
- 1989 — Velvet Revolution protests in Prague swelled to an estimated half-million people, demanding an end to communist rule in Czechoslovakia.
Famous Birthdays on November 20
- 1750 — Tipu Sultan, Indian ruler celebrated as a pioneer of rocket artillery who fiercely resisted British expansion in the late eighteenth century.
- 1858 — Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish author and educator who in 1909 became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1900 — Chester Gould, American cartoonist who created the iconic Dick Tracy comic strip, pioneering the crime-detection genre in comics.
- 1908 — Alistair Cooke, British-American broadcaster whose Masterpiece Theatre hosting and Letter from America broadcasts made him a transatlantic household name.
- 1936 — Don DeLillo, American novelist whose postmodern works, including Underworld, explore media saturation, paranoia, and the American psyche.
- 1956 — Bo Derek, American actress and producer who became a 1980s pop-culture icon after her breakout role in the film 10.
- 1957 — Goodluck Jonathan, Nigerian politician who served as president from 2010 to 2015 and oversaw a historic peaceful transfer of power.
- 1971 — Joel McHale, American comedian and actor known for hosting The Soup and starring in the sitcom Community.
- 2000 — Connie Talbot, English singer who captured hearts as a child finalist on Britain's Got Talent and built a lasting music career.