164 things happened on 1 November, from AD 365 to 2015. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1141 · 885 years ago
During a civil war known as the Anarchy, Empress Matilda released her rival, King Stephen. In return, Stephen's side freed Robert of Gloucester, Matilda's strongest supporter, so the war carried on. Matilda was the daughter of King Henry I and believed the th…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
During a civil war known as the Anarchy, Empress Matilda released her rival, King Stephen. In return, Stephen's side freed Robert of Gloucester, Matilda's strongest supporter, so the war carried on. Matilda was the daughter of King Henry I and believed the throne was hers, but her cousin Stephen had taken the crown. In the end, Matilda's son became King Henry II after Stephen.
UK story
William of Orange set sail from Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands for the second time. He aimed to take the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland from King James II, in what became known as the Glorious Revolution. James II, the last Catholic monarch of these kingdoms, lost his throne that year. William then ruled with his wife, Queen Mary II, a reign known as that of William and Mary.
UK story
The Stamp Act, a British tax on the Thirteen Colonies in America, came into force. Many printed items, from newspapers to playing cards, had to be made on special stamped paper from London. The money was meant to help pay for British troops in the colonies. The tax was very unpopular, with colonists using the slogan 'No taxation without representation', and it was cancelled in March 1766.
UK story
The Columbus arrived in the Downs, off the coast of England, after sailing from Quebec with a huge cargo of timber. At the time, it was the largest ship ever to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. It was a disposable ship, built to be taken apart on arrival so its wood could be sold. Instead, it became a sight for tourists at its dock in London, and its owners later sent it back to North America.
UK story
Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell were called to the Bar of Ireland, becoming the first women barristers anywhere in Ireland or Great Britain. A barrister is a lawyer who speaks for people in court. The news made headlines in Dublin, London, New York and India. It was almost a year before a woman was called to the English bar.
UK story
A British Rail InterCity 125 High Speed Train reached 238 km/h, about 148 miles per hour. This was a speed record for trains that carry their own fuel to make electricity for their motors, known as diesel-electric trains. The InterCity 125's power cars were built between 1975 and 1982. They have been carrying passengers in the UK since 1976.
UK story
English adventurer Karl Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, near the southern tip of Chile, to walk around the world towards home in England. He is trying to become the first person ever to walk an unbroken path all the way around the planet. His enormous journey on foot is called the Goliath Expedition.
UK story
The British Crown colony of New York is subdivided into 12 counties.
UK story
The Battle of Bembezi took place and was the most decisive battle won by the British in the First Matabele War of 1893.
UK story
World War II: Units of the British Army land at Walcheren.
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, was shown to the public for the first time. Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance. He was born in Florence but did most of his work in Rome from his thirties onwards. His work had a lasting influence on Western art.
Ferdinand Magellan's expedition found and sailed into a sea passage south of mainland South America, now called the Strait of Magellan. It links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is about 570 kilometres long. At its narrowest point it is only 2 kilometres wide. The voyage went on to become the first ever to sail all the way round the Earth, returning to Spain in 1522.
John Adams became the first US president to live in the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House. The country's capital had just moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Every president since has lived there, and it is also where the president works. Adams, the second president, had been a leader of the American Revolution.
Roman Emperor Valentinian I learns the Alemanni have crossed the Rhine and invaded Gaul.
Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi (Austria in Old High German).
Philip II is crowned King of France.
Byzantine–Seljuk wars: Seljuq Turks captured the important port city of Sinope.
The anti-royalist Union of Valencia attacks the Jews of Murviedro on the pretext that they are serfs of the King of Valencia and thus "royalists".
Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere is elected Pope and takes the name Julius II.
French Huguenots establish the France Antarctique colony in present-day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The All Saints' Flood devastates the Dutch coast.
Napoleon Bonaparte invades Austria during the War of the Third Coalition.
Congress of Vienna opens to re-draw the European political map after the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars.
In Boston, Massachusetts, the first medical school for women, Boston Female Medical School (which later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine), opens.
American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army, replacing General Winfield Scott.
In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast.
Buffalo Bill, 15 of his Native Americans, and Annie Oakley were filmed by Thomas Edison in his Black Maria Studio in West Orange, New Jersey.
A picture showing the bare breasts of a woman appears in National Geographic magazine for the first time.
Italian Sport-Club Juventus is founded by a group of students of Liceo Classico Massimo d'Azeglio.
The first Library of Congress building opens its doors to the public; the library had previously been housed in the Congressional Reading Room in the U.S. Capitol.
Lahti, a city in Finland, is granted city rights by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last Grand Duke of Finland.
World War I: The first contingent of the First Australian Imperial Force departed Albany, Western Australia.
In Russia, Pavel Milyukov delivers in the State Duma the famous "stupidity or treason" speech, precipitating the downfall of the government of Boris Stürmer.
Western Ukraine separates from Austria-Hungary.
Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate: The last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, abdicates.
The Finnish airline Aero O/Y (now Finnair) is founded.
The Law on the Adoption and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet, replaces the Arabic alphabet with the Latin alphabet.
Stalinists execute Pastor Paul Hamberg and seven members of Azerbaijan's Lutheran community.
Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed "the match of the century" in horse racing.
World War II: Matanikau Offensive begins during the Guadalcanal campaign and ends three days later with an American victory.
World War II: The 3rd Marine Division, United States Marines, landing on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, secures a beachhead, leading that night to a naval clash at the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay.
The official North Korean newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, is first published under the name Chongro.
Athenagoras I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, is enthroned.
The Front de Libération Nationale fires the first shots of the Algerian War of Independence.
The establishment of a Military Assistance Advisory Group in South Vietnam marks the beginning of American involvement in the conflict.
The Indian states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka were formally created under the States Reorganisation Act.
Hungarian Revolution: Imre Nagy announces Hungary's neutrality and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. Soviet troops begin to re-enter Hungary, contrary to assurances by the Soviet government. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich secretly defect to the Soviets.
The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas.
After being struck in the face with a hockey puck, Jacques Plante played the rest of the game wearing a face mask, now mandatory equipment for goaltenders in ice hockey.
Dominique Mbonyumutwa, one of the few Hutu sub-chiefs in colonial Rwanda, was attacked by Tutsi activists, precipitating the Rwandan Revolution.
The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with the largest radio telescope ever constructed, officially opens.
The Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X.
Elvis on Tour, a concert film that documented Elvis Presley's tour throughout the United States, opened.
The Indian state of Mysore is renamed as Karnataka to represent all the regions within Karunadu.
Griselda Álvarez becomes the first female governor of a state of Mexico.
Antigua and Barbuda gains independence from the United Kingdom.
Honda becomes the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the United States with the opening of its factory in Marysville, Ohio; a Honda Accord is the first car produced there.
President of the Chechen Republic Dzhokhar Dudayev declares sovereignty of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria from the Russian Federation.
The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union.
Titanic premieres publicly at Tokyo festival, launching a global blockbuster career.
Serbia and Montenegro joins the United Nations.
Chhattisgarh officially becomes the 26th state of India, formed from sixteen districts of eastern Madhya Pradesh.
Turkey, Australia, and Canada agree to commit troops to the invasion of Afghanistan.
Mario Draghi succeeds Jean-Claude Trichet and becomes the third president of the European Central Bank.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Empress Matilda frees King Stephen, and the Anarchy drags on”?
A: 1141. 1141 — that’s 885 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Karl Bushby sets off to walk around the world”?
A: 1998. 1998 — that’s 28 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Empress Matilda frees King Stephen, and the Anarchy drags on. 1921: Frances Kyle becomes one of the first women barristers · 1998: Karl Bushby sets off to walk around the world · 1141: Empress Matilda frees King Stephen, and the Anarchy drags on Find it on the page
“Frances Kyle becomes one of the first women barristers” happened in 1921. How many years ago was that?
C: 105 years. 2026 − 1921 = 105. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 1 November.
UK story
Philip Noel-Baker was a British politician, diplomat and athlete, born in 1889. At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, he carried the British team flag and won a silver medal in the 1500 metres. He became famous for campaigning for countries to reduce their weapons. In 1959 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Well-known people who died on 1 November.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 1 November somewhere in the world.
UK story
Calan Gaeaf is the first day of winter in Wales. The night before, Nos Galan Gaeaf, was traditionally a spirit night, when spirits were thought to be out and about. People used to stay away from churchyards, stiles and crossroads, where the spirits were believed to gather. The name was first written down long ago, in the laws of Hywel Dda.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “November 1” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.