Historical anniversaries are great for On This Day in History features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re simple to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.
Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in November 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)
We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book. The editions for 2021 and 2022 are also available.
Nov 1, 1895 – 125 years ago
The world’s first movie theater/cinema.
German filmmakers the Skladanowsky Brothers (Max and Emil) presented their Bioscop film projector to a paying audience in Berlin.
(On December 28, 1895 the Lumière Brothers presented their technically superior Cinematographe to a paying audience in Paris, France.
December 28, 1895 is widely recognized as the birth date of motion pictures.)
Nov 2, 1920 – 100 years ago
Westinghouse Electric launched the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is commonly cited as the world’s first commercial radio station. Initially it was only intended to save on the cost of transmitting telegraphs and business information between the company’s factories, but its remit was expanded to include news and entertainment.
Nov 3, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Peter II, last King of Yugoslavia.
Nov 4, 1980 – 40 years ago
Ronald Reagan was elected 40th President of the USA. (Inaugurated March 4, 1981.)
Nov 5, 1940 – 80 years ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only U.S. President to win a third term, beating Republican challenger Wendell L. Willkie.
This was also the first time that U.S. election returns were shown on television.
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Nov 7, 1940 – 80 years ago
The middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, USA collapsed just months after it opened.
It was one of the most famous engineering failures in history.
Nov 8, 1960 – 60 years ago
John F. Kennedy was elected 35th President of the USA. (Inaugurated March 4, 1961.)
Nov 9, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Charles de Gaulle, President of France (1959–69).
Nov 10, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Great Wall of China was opened to tourists.
Nov 11, 1920 – 100 years ago
Following World War I, Britain and France held ceremonies to dedicate a national monument known as the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The British monument is at Westminster Abbey in London; the French monument (La tombe du soldat inconnu) is beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The French monument includes the first eternal flame created in Europe since the 4th century.
Nov 12, 1920 – 100 years ago
Kenesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Nov 13, 1770 – 250 years ago
Death of George Grenville, British Prime Minister (1763-65).
Best known for introducing the Stamp Act (a form of taxation) into the American colonies.
Nov 14, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: German Luftwaffe bombers virtually destroyed the city of Coventry, England, including its medieval cathedral.
Britain retaliated on November 15th and 16th by bombing Hamburg, Germany over two consecutive nights.
Nov 15, 1995 – 25 years ago
British computer programmer Christopher Pile (also known as the Black Baron) was sentenced to 18 months in prison for writing and distributing computer viruses. He was the first person to be jailed for this offense.
Nov 16, 1920 – 100 years ago
Qantas, Australia’s national airline, was founded (as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited).
Nov 17, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Sun newspaper in Britain introduced topless Page Three girls. The first was glamour model Stephanie Rahn.
Nov 18, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the first 75,000 men entered military service in the USA as part of peacetime conscription, following the enactment of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in September.
Nov 19, 1995 – 25 years ago
The U.S. première of the film Toy Story. It was the first feature-length computer-generated film, and the first full-length film made by Pixar.
(Released USA: November 22nd, UK: March 22, 1996.)
Nov 20, 1945 to Oct 1, 1946 – 75 years ago
The first Nuremberg trial was held in Germany. 23 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich were tried for war crimes committed during WWII. 12 of the defendants were sentenced to death and 10 were executed on October 16, 1946. (The other two had already died.)
Nov 21, 1990 – 30 years ago
The Cold War ended as leaders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact states signed the Charter of Paris and a treaty on conventional forces in Europe.
Nov 22, 1990 – 30 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation. She was succeeded by John Major on November 28th.
Nov 23, 1945 – 75 years ago
Wartime food rationing ended in the USA.
Nov 24, 1995 – 25 years ago
In a referendum, the citizens of Ireland narrowly voted in favor of legalizing divorce.
Nov 25, 1940 – 80 years ago
Woody Woodpecker made his first appearance, in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock Knock.
Nov 26, 1970 – 50 years ago
The heaviest rainfall in one minute: 1.5 inches (38 mm) in Barot, Guadeloupe.
Nov 27, 1920 – 100 years ago
The U.S. premiere of the swashbuckler adventure film The Mark of Zorro (original version), starring Douglas Fairbanks.
(Released December 5th.)
Nov 28, 1520 – 500 years ago
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the South Pacific and named the waters the Pacific Ocean.
Nov 29, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Busby Berkeley, American film director and choreographer.
Known for his elaborate musical production numbers which often featured large numbers of dancing girls forming kaleidoscopic patterns.
Nov 30, 2000 – 20 years ago
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 came into effect in the UK.
It included the controversial “right to roam” which had been long sought by ramblers. Several disputed areas became accessible as a result.
More anniversaries:
You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2020. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.