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November 11

Historic US 101 in California

U.S. Route 101 is a major north–south highway on the West Coast of the United States that runs along the Pacific Ocean through California, Oregon, and Washington. It was established on November 11, 1926, as part of the United States Numbered Highway System and spans 1,500 miles (2,400 km). Several sections were later rebuilt to eliminate curves and address traffic congestion. The highway's southern terminus is at a major interchange in Los Angeles. US 101 follows the historic El Camino Real from Los Angeles to San Francisco, where it reaches the Golden Gate Bridge. The highway then runs through coastal towns and around the west, north, and east sides of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to its northern terminus near Olympia. The highway does not serve the largest cities in Oregon and Washington; that role is instead filled by Interstate 5. Several portions of US 101 are designated as scenic byways, and it serves three national parks: Pinnacles, Redwood, and Olympic. (Full article...)

November 11: Armistice Day (known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations and Veterans Day in the United States); Singles' Day in China and Southeast Asia

Józef Piłsudski

• 1880 – In spite of sympathizers holding rallies for his reprieve, Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly was hanged in Melbourne.
• 1918 – Józef Piłsudski (pictured), appointed the commander-in-chief of Polish forces by the Regency Council, was entrusted with the creation of a national government for the newly independent Poland.
• 1926 – The plan for the United States Numbered Highway System was approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials.
• 2008 – After 30 years in power, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was succeeded by Mohamed Nasheed as the president of the Maldives.

November 11

Iranian coin commemorating the 1974 Asian Games

Athletes from 19 National Olympic Committees won medals at the 1974 Asian Games, of which 15 secured at least one gold medal. The 1974 Asian Games, officially known as the Seventh Asian Games, was an international multi-sport event held in Tehran, Iran, from 1 September to 16 September. The 1974 Games had 3,010 athletes from 25 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating in a total of 202 events in 16 sports. The host NOC, Iran, finished second in the medal table, its best performance since the 1951 Asian Games, claiming 81 medals (including 36 gold). Japan took the top spot on the table with 175 medals (including 75 gold). The Republic of China (Taiwan) was expelled from the Games after the decision, made at the Asian Games Federation's conference in November 1973, to allow the entry of the People's Republic of China. Due to political reasons, athletes from the Arab nations, Pakistan, China, and North Korea refused to face Israel in the tennis, fencing, basketball and football events. (Full list...)

November 11

"Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War?" is a British military recruitment poster created by Savile Lumley and published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee in 1915. It depicts a girl, sitting on her father's lap, asking him about his service in the First World War; at his feet, his son plays with toy soldiers. The poster uses indirect messaging to tell the prospective recruit that, if he does not join up now, he will feel regret or shame when he is older. Not popular or widely printed at the time of the war, the poster only became well-known afterwards. Recruitment posters of the period increasingly appealed to guilt and patriotism, but "Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War?" attracted criticism for its use of shame. The poster was mocked by opponents of the war and even parodied by soldiers serving in the trenches. Poster credit: Savile Lumley; restored by Adam Cuerden Recently featured: Vaduz Castle Oecophylla longinoda Kennedy family Archive More featured pictures

November 12

The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a regiment of British volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry that traced its origins to a troop of yeomanry raised in Gloucestershire in 1795. It was officered by nobility and gentry, and its ranks were recruited largely from among landholders and tenant farmers. During the 19th century, it was deployed in ceremonial duties and as mounted police during times of civil unrest. It won its first battle honour for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War. In 1908, it became part of the Territorial Force, and during the First World War the regiment saw action as infantry at Gallipoli and as cavalry in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. It converted to armour just before the Second World War and fought in the North African Campaign. After several post-war reorganisations, the regiment was reduced to a squadron, and its lineage is maintained by C (Royal Gloucestershire Hussars) Squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry. (Full article...)

November 12

Corozal

• 1911 – The Corozal (pictured), at the time the most powerful dredger ever built, was launched in London for service in the construction of the Panama Canal.
• 1956 – Suez Crisis: During an invasion of Rafah, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an estimated 111 Palestinian refugees and local inhabitants.
• 1973 – The first episode of Last of the Summer Wine, the longest-running television sitcom in history, premiered on the BBC.
• 2001 – American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into residential buildings shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing 265 people.
• 2006 – South Ossetia held a referendum on independence from Georgia; more than 99 percent of voters were in favour of maintaining the region's status as a de facto independent state.

November 12

The collared lory (Vini solitaria) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Fiji, where it inhabits tropical forests but has also adapted to urban environments, including the capital, Suva. Measuring around 20 centimetres (8 in) in length, it has bright scarlet underparts and cheeks, a purple crown and greenish upperparts. It feeds on fruit, seeds, nectar and blossoms, and is usually found in pairs or small groups. The species nests in tree hollows, sometimes using holes in rotting coconuts still attached to trees. Its colourful feathers were historically prized and traded between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. This collared lory, perched on an octopus tree, was photographed in Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve in south-eastern Fiji. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp Recently featured: "Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War?" Vaduz Castle Oecophylla longinoda Archive More featured pictures

November 13

Luke Williams, Notts County's head coach

In their 2022–23 season, Notts County competed in the National League. The team was involved in an intense race with Wrexham for the league title and the solitary automatic promotion place. Notts County finished second with 107 points and qualified for the play-offs, beating Chesterfield on penalties in the 2023 National League play-off final to be promoted to the English Football League. Led by head coach Luke Williams (pictured), they played 51 competitive matches, winning 34, drawing 13 and losing 4, and broke numerous club records. Macaulay Langstaff scored 42 goals during the campaign, setting new club and league records for the most goals scored by a player in a single season. The necessity of a team with such a high points tally having to win promotion via the play-offs prompted discussion about increasing the number of promotion and relegation places between the National League and EFL. The team's rivalry with Wrexham was featured in the TV programme Welcome to Wrexham. (Full article...)

November 13

Site of the Amityville murders

• 1809 – A British flotilla arrived at Ras Al Khaimah and launched an amphibious assault on the town, as a part of the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809.
• 1945 – FC Dynamo Moscow opened their exhibition tour of the United Kingdom with a 3–3 draw against Chelsea, breaking the attendance record for a British club football match.
• 1966 – Arab–Israeli conflict: In response to a Fatah landmine incident, the Israeli military conducted a large cross-border assault on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu.
• 1974 – Six members of the DeFeo family were murdered in their home (house pictured) in Amityville, New York, events that later inspired the book The Amityville Horror and a subsequent media franchise.
• 1992 – The High Court of Australia ruled in Dietrich v The Queen that, although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay in most circumstances in which an accused is unrepresented.

November 13

Saint Lite, the first Classic Triple Crown winner (1941)

In Japanese horse racing, the Triple Crown refers to five national-level titles, each comprising of three races held in one year. The Japan Racing Association (JRA) recognises the Classic Triple Crown (Satsuki Shō, Tōkyō Yūshun and Kikuka-shō) and the Triple Tiara (Oka Shō, Yushun Himba and Shūka Shō). Since 2024, the National Association of Racing (NAR) has also recognised the Dirt Triple Crown (Haneda Hai, Tokyo Derby and Japan Dirt Classic). The JRA also offers bonuses for winning the Ōsaka Hai, Tennō Shō (Spring) and Takarazuka Kinen, or the Tennō Shō (Autumn), Japan Cup and Arima Kinen in one season, commonly referred to as the Spring and Autumn Triple Crowns. Winning any of the Crowns comes with both significant bonus prizes and prestige; many winners have entered the JRA Hall of Fame. Seventeen horses have won a Crown: eight have won the Classic Triple Crown, seven have won the Triple Tiara, and two have won the Autumn Triple Crown. No horse has yet completed either the Dirt Triple Crown or Spring Triple Crown. (Full list...)

November 13

The Hupa are a Native American people of northwestern California, who migrated to the area around 1000 CE. Their language belongs to the Athabaskan family. Traditionally, they relied on salmon fishing, acorns and basketry. Most Hupa are enrolled in the federally recognized Hoopa Valley Tribe, whose reservation encompasses their ancestral homeland. This c. 1923 photograph by Edward S. Curtis, titled A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl, shows a Hupa man with a spear. Photograph credit: Edward S. Curtis Recently featured: Collared lory "Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War?" Vaduz Castle Archive More featured pictures

November 14

Aucanquilcha is a large compound volcano in Chile. It has the form of a ridge reaching an altitude of 6176 m above sea level and formed between 1.04 and 0.23 million years ago. During the ice ages, Aucanquilcha was covered in an ice cap that left moraines and cirques. It has generated lava in a dacite composition. Systematic variations in temperature, crystal and biotite content have been recorded during the evolution of the cluster. They reflect the change of the magma supply conduits in the crust from dispersed magma chambers to a centralized volcanic system. One mine at an altitude of 5950 m was opened in 1913; it remained in use from 1950 to 1992, constituting at that time the world's highest mine, and mined the sulfur deposits of the volcano in its summit area. As part of this mining activity, a road and an aerial cableway were built on Aucanquilcha. In 1986, four men were reported to be living at an altitude of 5900 m, making them the highest permanent residents on Earth.(Full article...)

November 14: World Diabetes Day; Dobruja Day in Romania

Portrait of Herman Melville, 1870

• 1851 – Moby-Dick, a novel by American writer Herman Melville (pictured), was first published in the United States.
• 1941 – Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank as she was being towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
• 1969 – Apollo 12 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, later becoming the second crewed flight to land on the Moon.
• 1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Croatian naval commandos attacked the Yugoslav patrol boat Mukos, starting the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels.
• 1992 – In poor conditions caused by Cyclone Forrest, Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 crashed near Nha Trang, killing 30 people.

November 14

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November 15

"Can't Let Go" is a song recorded by Mariah Carey (pictured) for her second album Emotions. Columbia Records released it as the album's second single in November 1991. Featuring synthesizers and drum programming, "Can't Let Go" is an R&B and pop slow jam that describes post-breakup sadness. Carey's vocal range spans more than three octaves; her delivery is predominantly breathy and in a low register, with whistle notes in the song's introduction and ending. Critics considered "Can't Let Go" a vocal showcase for Carey but gave the composition mixed reviews. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and ended her streak of five consecutive number one songs. It was her lowest-charting single in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands at the time, but peaked within the top ten on sales and airplay charts in Canada and at number twenty in the United Kingdom. Jim Sonzero directed the music video, which depicts Carey singing alone in an empty house. (Full article...)

November 15

Buran

• 655 – Penda of Mercia and Æthelhere of East Anglia were defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed in Yorkshire, England.
• 1859 – Sponsored by Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens.
• 1908 – After numerous atrocities in the territory, the Congo Free State was annexed to Belgium to form the Belgian Congo.
• 1943 – The Holocaust: In the Romani Holocaust, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler ordered that the Romani were to be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps".
• 1988 – The Soviet spacecraft Buran (pictured), a reusable vehicle built in response to NASA's Space Shuttle program, was launched, uncrewed, on its only flight.

November 15

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November 16

Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is an American political theorist and writer. He contributed to the development of neopacifism in the 1960s, New Age politics in the 1970s and 1980s, and radical centrism in the 1990s and 2000s. After emigrating to Canada to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, he wrote the Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada, which sold nearly 100,000 copies. Then came New Age Politics (1978), which identifies an emergent third force pursuing such goals as simple living, decentralism, and global responsibility. Satin spread his ideas by co-founding the New World Alliance and publishing New Options newsletter. He also co-draftied the foundational statement of the U.S. Green Party, "Ten Key Values". Following a period of political disillusion Satin wrote Radical Middle (2004) which criticizes political partisanship and promotes mutual learning and innovative policy syntheses. In 2023 Satin wrote Up From Socialism: My 60-Year Search for a Healing New Radical Politics. (Full article...)

November 16

Vlad the Impaler

• 1476 – With the help of Stephen III and Stephen Báthory, Vlad the Impaler (pictured) ousted Basarab the Old and became the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.
• 1632 – King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was killed at the Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years' War.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Dutch fort on Sint Eustatius fired The First Salute to the brig Andrew Doria of the Continental Navy, marking the first international recognition of the American flag.
• 1992 – The largest hoard of Roman silver and gold in Britain was found in Suffolk, England.
• 2020 – The El Dorado Fire in California, United States, was extinguished after 71 days, having destroyed 20 structures and killed one firefighter.

November 16

Mohamed Muizzu

The President of the Maldives is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives. The President is directly elected by the citizens of the country through a popular vote for a five-year term. The President serves as the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force and leads the cabinet of the Maldives. Since 1968, two Presidents (Ibrahim Nasir and Mohamed Nasheed) have resigned from the post. Mohamed Amin Didi was the shortest-serving President, serving for a total of 7 months and 21 days in 1953. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom served as President for 30 years, from 1978 to 2008, making him the longest-serving President and one of the longest-serving Presidents in Asia. The incumbent President is Mohamed Muizzu (pictured), who assumed office on 17 November 2023. (Full list...)

November 16

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November 17

Dividing the Light was one of the installation artworks that inspired the game.

Islands: Non-Places is an abstract art game developed and published by Carl Burton. It was released on November 17, 2016, and consists of a series of anonymous, liminal environments, each rendered in a stylized manner. The gameplay is minimal and consists mainly of clicking on the environment and observing what unfolds. In developing Islands, Burton drew inspiration from diverse sources, including the work of anthropologist Marc Augé, the installation art of James Turrell (example pictured) and the field recordings of Chris Watson. Critical response was generally positive, and the game was nominated for the Nuovo Award at the 2016 Independent Games Festival. The positive reception focused on the abstract visuals and sound design, while some critics were disappointed with the limited scope of the gameplay. Although divided on the game's precise message, many critics described Islands as leaving them with a feeling of renewed wonder at mundane things in the real world. (Full article...)

November 17

Queen Elizabeth I of England

• 1558 – Elizabeth I (pictured) became Queen of England and of Ireland, marking the beginning of the Elizabethan era.
• 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: French forces won the Battle of Arcole in a manoeuvre to cut the Austrians' line of retreat.
• 1941 – World War II: Hjalmar Siilasvuo ordered Finnish forces to halt their assault against Soviet forces near Salla, concluding Operation Arctic Fox.
• 1989 – Walt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, beginning the Disney Renaissance.
• 2013 – An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indiana.

November 17

The Sorcerer is a two-act comic opera, with words by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot is based on an 1876 story, An Elixir of Love, by Gilbert. A young man, obsessed with the idea of love removing all social distinctions, invites a sorcerer, J. W. Wells, to brew a love potion. This causes everyone in the village to fall in love with the first person they see and results in comically mismatched couples. Wells sacrifices his life to break the spell. The opera opened on 17 November 1877 at the Opera Comique in London, where it ran for 178 performances. A success by the standards of the time, it encouraged the collaborators to write their next opera, H.M.S. Pinafore, an international hit. The Sorcerer was important to the development of the extraordinarily successful series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas that followed, and it is still regularly played. This poster was illustrated by H. M. Brock for The Sorcerer's 1919 revival. Poster credit: H. M. Brock; restored by Adam Cuerden Recently featured: Archive More featured pictures

November 18

W. S. Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with Arthur Sullivan. Their Savoy operas, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, are still performed by opera companies, repertory companies, schools and community theatre groups. Lines from these works have entered the English language. Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads, a collection of light verse accompanied by his comical drawings, in which he first developed his unique absurdist, inverted "topsy-turvy" style. His creative output included over 75 plays and libretti, numerous stories, poems, lyrics, theatre reviews, illustration and various other comic and serious pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, and his comic operas with Sullivan inspired the development of modern musical theatre. (Full article...)

November 18

Nikita Khrushchev

• 1583 – The Siege of Godes­berg, the first major siege of the Cologne War, began.
• 1809 – Napoleonic Wars: In the Bay of Bengal, a French frigate squadron captured three ships carrying recruits for the armies of the East India Company.
• 1956 – At the Polish embassy in Moscow, a phrase in an address by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (pictured) was translated into English as "We will bury you", prompting Western envoys to leave the room.
• 1991 – Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.
• 2011 – The sandbox video game Minecraft exited beta with the official release of version 1.0.

November 18

Przewalski's horse is a recovering species.

A recovering species is a species that was vulnerable to extinction, but has recovered to some extent. Recovery may be measured by counting the population or measuring the extent of the species' range. A species is be considered recovering when it was categorized by IUCN as Vulnerable (or worse) and has since recovered to some extent. Some recoveries are limited to captive breeding in zoos or cultivation in botanical gardens, other recoveries – called local recoveries – only happen in a certain location. Historically, conservation efforts focused on preventing extinction rather than promoting recovery and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains a Red List of species that are in danger of extinction. To shift the focus from extinction to recovery, the IUCN recently expanded its assessments with a "green status" that encompassed the likelihood of recovery. (Full list...)

November 18

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