135 things happened on 20 November, from AD 270 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1947 · 79 years ago
Princess Elizabeth, the elder daughter of King George VI, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London. Philip had been born a prince of Greece and Denmark, but had become a British citizen. On the morning of the wedding he was made Du…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
The Second Treaty of Paris was signed after Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon had been forced to abdicate, which means give up his throne, for the second time. Under the treaty, France's borders went back to where they had been in 1790. France also had to pay large sums of money, and British, Austrian, Prussian and Russian troops stayed in France for several more years.
UK story
During the First World War, the British Army began the Battle of Cambrai in northern France. It attacked the Hindenburg Line, a line of German defences, using large numbers of tanks. The first day was a big success for the British. But many of the tanks broke down, and the Germans later struck back with a large counter-attack.
UK story
Princess Elizabeth, the elder daughter of King George VI, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London. Philip had been born a prince of Greece and Denmark, but had become a British citizen. On the morning of the wedding he was made Duke of Edinburgh. Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 and reigned for 70 years, longer than any other British monarch.
UK story
A major fire broke out at Windsor Castle, the largest lived-in castle in the world and a home of the British monarch. It started in the Queen's Private Chapel and spread quickly, damaging more than 100 rooms. Over 200 firefighters took 15 hours to bring it under control, and no one was killed. Restoring the castle took five years and was finished in 1997.
UK story
Palermo is conquered by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor.
UK story
War of Jenkins' Ear: A British naval force arrived at the settlement of Portobello in the Spanish Main, capturing it the next day.
UK story
American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Fort Lee saw the invasion of New Jersey by British and Hessian forces and the subsequent general retreat of the Continental Army.
UK story
Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: Battle of Vuelta de Obligado.
Fidelio, the only opera by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, was first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Its original title was Leonore, or the Triumph of Married Love. Beethoven later revised it several times, and the final version was performed in 1814. Beethoven is seen as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.
The United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a document setting out rights that all children should have. It was a longer version of a declaration first adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. The original had been drafted by Eglantyne Jebb, an English social reformer. She also founded the charity Save the Children at the end of the First World War.
US President John F. Kennedy ended the naval 'quarantine' around Cuba after the Soviet Union removed its nuclear missiles and bombers from the island. The quarantine used ships to stop more weapons reaching Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 is seen as the closest the Cold War came to a full-scale nuclear war. Afterwards, a direct 'hotline' was set up between Washington and Moscow.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel. He met Israel's Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, and spoke to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem. He was seeking a lasting peace between the two countries. Talks that followed led to the Camp David Accords and a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in the United States, the first version of its Windows software for personal computers. It let people use a mouse and run more than one program at the same time. It came with built-in programs such as Calculator, Paint and Notepad. Unlike later versions, its windows could not overlap and were laid out side by side, like tiles.
Zarya, the first module of the International Space Station (ISS), was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. It was built in Russia but paid for by the United States. Its name means 'sunrise', a symbol of a new era of countries working together in space. In the station's early years, Zarya provided its power and helped it to move and steer.
The 22nd FIFA World Cup began in Qatar. It was the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. It was also only the second to take place in Asia, after South Korea and Japan shared the 2002 tournament. The competition ran until 18 December.
Diocletian is chosen as Roman emperor.
During the An Shi Rebellion, the Tang dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptures Luoyang from the rebels.
The Peace of Cremona ends the war between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan, after the victorious Venetian enterprise of military engineering of the Galeas per montes.
New Jersey becomes the first U.S. state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
American Civil War: A secession ordinance is filed by Kentucky's Confederate government.
Garnier Expedition: French forces under Lieutenant Francis Garnier captured Hanoi from the Vietnamese.
The French actress Sarah Bernhardt receives the press at the Savoy Hotel in New York at the outset of her first visit since 1896. She talked about her impending tour with a troupe of more than 50 performers and her plans to play the title role in Hamlet.
Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero issues the Plan de San Luis Potosí, denouncing Mexican President Porfirio Díaz, calling for a revolution to overthrow the government of Mexico, effectively starting the Mexican Revolution.
World War II: Hungary becomes a signatory of the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis powers.
World War II: Battle of Tarawa (Operation Galvanic) begins: United States Marines land on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands and suffer heavy fire from Japanese shore guns and machine guns.
A group of Native American activists began a 19-month occupation (graffiti pictured) of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
The United States Department of Justice files its final anti-trust suit against AT&T Corporation. This suit later leads to the breakup of AT&T and its Bell System.
Lake Peigneur in Louisiana drains into an underlying salt deposit. A misplaced Texaco oil probe had been drilled into the Diamond Crystal Salt Mine, causing water to flow down into the mine, eroding the edges of the hole.
Velvet Revolution: The number of protesters assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia, swells from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million.
Savings and loan crisis: The United States Senate Ethics Committee issues a stern censure of California senator Alan Cranston for his "dealings" with savings-and-loan executive Charles Keating.
In accordance with the Lusaka Protocol, the Angolan government signed a ceasefire with UNITA rebels in a failed attempt to end the Angolan Civil War.
Jimmie Johnson wins his seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten”?
A: 1947. 1947 — that’s 79 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “British tanks lead an attack at the Battle of Cambrai”?
A: 1917. 1917 — that’s 109 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: The Second Treaty of Paris is signed after Waterloo. 1947: Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten · 1917: British tanks lead an attack at the Battle of Cambrai · 1815: The Second Treaty of Paris is signed after Waterloo Find it on the page
“The Second Treaty of Paris is signed after Waterloo” happened in 1815. How many years ago was that?
A: 211 years. 2026 − 1815 = 211. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 20 November.
Well-known people who died on 20 November.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 20 November somewhere in the world.
World Children's Day celebrates children around the world. It is held on 20 November because the United Nations issued the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on this date in 1959. Thirty years later, on the same date in 1989, the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This agreement sets out the rights of everyone under 18, and almost every country in the world has signed up to it.
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 20” 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.