Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/November 20
This is a list of selected November 20 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
Images
Use only ONE image at a time
-
Zarya, the first module of the International Space Station -
Francisco I. Madero -
Diocletian
-
Statue of Diocletian -
British invasion of New Jersey -
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
Ineligible
| Blurb | Reason |
|---|---|
| Black Awareness Day in Brazil; | stub |
| ; Teachers' Day in Vietnam | refimprove |
| Revolution Day in Mexico; | refimprove |
| 1695 – Zumbi, the last of the leaders of Quilombo dos Palmares in early Brazil, was executed. | needs more footnotes |
| 1902 – While discussing how to promote the newspaper L'Auto, sports journalist Géo Lefèvre came up with the idea of holding a cycling race that later became known as the Tour de France. | refimprove section |
| 1910 – Francisco I. Madero promulgated the San Luis Plan, starting a revolt against President Porfirio Díaz that marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. | multiple issues |
| 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Tarawa began with American forces landing on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands and suffering heavy fire from the Japanese. | needs more footnotes |
| 1979 – A group of armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, declaring that one of their leaders, Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani, was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. | accuracy disputed |
| 2003 – Suicide bombers blew up the British Consulate and the headquarters of HSBC Bank, killing consul general Roger Short as well as actor Kerem Yılmazer. | refimprove section |
Eligible
- 284 – Diocletian (sculpture pictured) became Roman Emperor, eventually establishing reforms that ended the Crisis of the Third Century.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Fort Lee marked the invasion of New Jersey by British and Hessian forces and the subsequent general retreat of the Continental Army.
- 1845 – Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata: The Argentine Confederation were defeated in the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado, but the losses ultimately made the United Kingdom and France give up the blockade.
- 1917 – First World War: The Battle of Cambrai began with British forces having initial success over Germany's Hindenburg Line.
- 1936 – Spanish Civil War: Founder of the fascist Falange Española José Antonio Primo de Rivera (pictured) was executed by the republican government.
- 1947 – Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George II of the United Kingdom, married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who was given the title Duke of Edinburgh.
- 1952 – The Slánský trial, a show trial against Czech General Secretary Rudolf Slánský and 13 other members of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, was held.
- 1969 – A group of Native American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
- 1994 – 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.
November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance; National Sovereignty Day in Argentina
- 1820 – The American whaleship Essex sank 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) west of the western coast of South America after it was attacked by a sperm whale, an event which inspired Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.
- 1945 – The Nuremberg Trials (pictured) of 24 leading Nazis involved in the Holocaust and various war crimes during World War II began in Nuremberg, Germany.
- 1980 – An oil platform drilling accident caused Lake Peigneur in the U.S. state of Louisiana to drain into a salt mine underneath, creating a whirlpool that sucked down the lake's entire contents.
- 1991 – Nagorno-Karabakh War: An Azerbaijani military helicopter carrying a peacekeeping mission team was shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, disrupting the ongoing peace talks.
- 1998 – The assembly of the International Space Station began when Zarya, its first module, was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.