139 things happened on 15 November, from AD 655 to 2022. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1738 · 288 years ago
William Herschel, the astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus, was born in Hanover, in what is now Germany. He played in a military band there before moving to Britain at the age of 19, and he also composed music. In 1781 he spotted a new object in the sk…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
King Oswiu of Northumbria defeated King Penda of Mercia and his ally, King Æthelhere of East Anglia, at the Battle of the Winwaed in what is now Yorkshire. Penda was a pagan king at a time when Christianity was spreading through the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The early English historian Bede wrote that the battle marked the end of Anglo-Saxon paganism. The victory made Oswiu one of the most powerful rulers in Britain.
UK story
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Garret FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough Castle. The treaty aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles, a long period of conflict in Northern Ireland. It gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Ireland. It also confirmed that Northern Ireland would only join the Republic of Ireland if most of its people agreed.
UK story
British racing driver Lewis Hamilton won the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, which also won him his seventh Formula One World Drivers' Championship. This equalled the all-time record of seven titles held by Michael Schumacher. Hamilton also holds the Formula One records for the most race wins, the most pole positions and the most podium finishes.
UK story
Second Boer War: Battle of Chieveley, a British armored train is ambushed and partially derailed. British lose the battle, with 80 soldiers captured, along with war correspondent Winston Churchill.
UK story
Fountain of Time, in Chicago's Washington Park, was dedicated as a tribute to 100 years of peace between the United States and Great Britain following the Treaty of Ghent.
One of the first modern revivals of the ancient Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece. These games were paid for by the Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, who is now seen as one of the founders of the modern Olympics. More games followed in 1870 and 1875. Their success inspired William Penny Brookes in England, who had been running his own games since 1850, and the modern Olympics that began in 1896.
The League of Nations held its first assembly, or full meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland. The League had been set up after the First World War. It was the first worldwide organisation whose main aim was to keep peace between countries. It closed in 1946, when much of its work passed to the new United Nations.
American driver Craig Breedlove set a land speed record of 600.601 mph (966.574 km/h) in his jet-powered car, Spirit of America. The record run took place on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Breedlove was the first person in history to drive at 600 mph, and earlier the first to reach 500 mph. In all, he set the world land speed record five times.
The company Intel released the 4004, the world's first commercial microprocessor on a single chip. A microprocessor is like the brain of a computer, carrying out its calculations and instructions. The 4004 held 2,300 transistors and was first designed for electronic calculators. It cost 60 US dollars and was the first in a long line of Intel processors.
The Soviet Union launched its space shuttle Buran, with nobody on board, on what turned out to be its only spaceflight. Buran was built in response to NASA's Space Shuttle, looked very similar to it and was designed to be reused. It was carried into space by Energia, a super heavy-lift rocket. Buran was the first shuttle orbiter built for the Soviet programme.
The world's first Fairtrade label, called Max Havelaar, was launched in the Netherlands. The label helps shoppers tell Fairtrade products apart from others. Its aim is to improve the living and working conditions of small farmers and workers in poorer parts of the world. The first Fairtrade coffee came from a farmers' co-operative in Mexico.
Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morgarten.
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Commanded by Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistadors under Hernando de Soto meet Incan Emperor Atahualpa for the first time outside Cajamarca, arranging for a meeting in the city plaza the following day.
Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.
Rákóczi's War of Independence: The Habsburg Empire and Denmark win a military victory over the Kurucs from Hungary in the Battle of Zsibó.
The chapel of the newly constructed Castellania in Valletta, Malta, was consecrated.
American Revolutionary War: After 16 months of debate the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation.
Pike Expedition: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike spots a mountain peak while near the Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is later named Pikes Peak in his honor.
American Civil War: Union army general William Tecumseh Sherman (pictured) began his March to the Sea, inflicting significant damage to property and infrastructure using scorched-earth tactics on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 met on 15 November 1884, and after an adjournment concluded on 26 February 1885, with the signature of a General Act, regulating the European colonisation and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period.
Brazilian emperor Pedro II was overthrown in a coup led by Deodoro da Fonseca (pictured), while the country was proclaimed a republic.
Eduskunta declares itself the supreme state power of Finland, prompting its declaration of independence and secession from Russia.
The Free City of Danzig is established.
Thailand holds its first election.
World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal ends in a decisive Allied victory.
The first part of the Saint Petersburg Metro is opened.
Project Gemini: Gemini 12 completes the program's final mission, when it splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Cleveland Transit System becomes the first transit system in the western hemisphere to provide direct rapid transit service from a city's downtown to its major airport.
Cold War: The Soviet submarine K-19 collides with the American submarine USS Gato in the Barents Sea.
René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois take power to become the first Quebec government of the 20th century clearly in favor of independence.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declares independence; it is only recognized by Turkey.
In Brașov, Romania, workers rebel against the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict: An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council.
Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-38, a classified mission for the Department of Defense.
The Communist People's Republic of Bulgaria is disestablished and a new republican government is instituted.
Jharkhand officially becomes the 28th state of India, formed from eighteen districts of southern Bihar.
Microsoft launches the Xbox game console in North America.
Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and a new nine-member Politburo Standing Committee is inaugurated.
Xi Jinping replaced Hu Jintao as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, succeeding as the paramount leader of China.
Hong Kong's High Court bans elected politicians Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung from the city's Parliament.
The world population reached eight billion.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “King Oswiu of Northumbria wins the Battle of the Winwaed”?
A: AD 655. AD 655 — that’s 1,371 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Lewis Hamilton wins his record-equalling seventh world title”?
A: 2020. 2020 — that’s 6 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: King Oswiu of Northumbria wins the Battle of the Winwaed. AD 655: King Oswiu of Northumbria wins the Battle of the Winwaed · 2020: Lewis Hamilton wins his record-equalling seventh world title · 1985: Britain and Ireland sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement Find it on the page
“William Herschel” happened in 1738. How many years ago was that?
A: 288 years. 2026 − 1738 = 288. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 15 November.
UK story
William Herschel, the astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus, was born in Hanover, in what is now Germany. He played in a military band there before moving to Britain at the age of 19, and he also composed music. In 1781 he spotted a new object in the sky that turned out to be Uranus, the first planet discovered since ancient times. He also discovered infrared radiation, often working with his sister Caroline.
UK story
Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan, a Welsh politician, was born. As Minister of Health in Clement Attlee's government, he led the creation of Britain's National Health Service, the NHS. He also played a big part in founding the welfare state. Before becoming the MP for Ebbw Vale in 1929, he was involved in the miners' union.
Well-known people who died on 15 November.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 15 November somewhere in the world.
Shichi-Go-San, which means 'seven-five-three', is a traditional Japanese festival day for young children. It celebrates the growth and well-being of girls aged three and seven, and boys aged five and sometimes three. It falls every year on 15 November. Because it is not a public holiday, families usually celebrate it at the nearest weekend.
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 15” 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.