November 20
November 20 is the 325th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 41 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Scorpio.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On November 20 the Sun's declination is approximately -20.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a November 20.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- 20-N (Spain)
- Africa Industrialization Day (international)
- Black Awareness Day (Brazil)
- Children's Day (World Children's Day)
- Christian feast day: Agapius
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2022 — The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar. This is the first time the tournament was held in the Middle East. ↗(4 years ago)more
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010.
2016 — Jimmie Johnson wins his seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time. ↗(10 years ago)more
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage.
2015 — Following a hostage siege, at least 19 people are killed in Bamako, Mali. ↗(11 years ago)more
On 20 November 2015, Islamist militants took 170 hostages and killed 20 of them in a mass shooting at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. The siege was ended when Malian special forces, backed by U.S. and French personnel, launched an assault on the hotel to recover the surviving hostages.
- 2003 — After the November 15 bombings, a second day of the 2003 Istanbul bombings occurs in Istanbul, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC Bank AS and the British consulate. ↗(23 years ago)
more
November 15 is the 319th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 46 days remain until the end of the year.
1998 — A court in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan declares accused terrorist Osama bin Laden 'a man without a sin' in regard to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. ↗(28 years ago)more
The Taliban, officially known as the Islamic Movement of Taliban, also referring to themselves by their state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghan political and militant organization with an ideology comprising elements of the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism and Pashtun nationalism.
1998 — The first space station module component, Zarya, for the International Space Station is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. ↗(28 years ago)more
Zarya, also known as the Functional Cargo Block, is the first module of the International Space Station (ISS). Launched on 20 November 1998 atop a Proton-K rocket, the module would serve as the ISS's primary source of power, propulsion, and guidance during its early years.
1996 — A fire breaks out in an office building in Hong Kong, killing 41 people and injuring 81. ↗(30 years ago)more
The Garley Building fire took place on 20 November 1996 in the 16-storey Garley commercial building located at 232–240 Nathan Road, Jordan, Hong Kong. The fire caused 41 deaths and 81 injuries. It was considered the worst building fire in Hong Kong during peacetime until it was surpassed by the Wang Fuk Court fire nearly three decades later.
1994 — The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign the Lusaka Protocol in Zambia, ending 19 years of civil war. (Localized fighting resumes the next year.) ↗(32 years ago)more
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the western coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country after Brazil in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa.
1993 — 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. ↗(33 years ago)more
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of approximately a third of the savings and loan associations in the United States between 1986 and 1995. These thrifts were banks that historically specialized in fixed-rate mortgage lending.
1993 — North Macedonia's deadliest aviation disaster occurs when Avioimpex Flight 110, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes near Ohrid Airport, killing all 116 people on board. ↗(33 years ago)more
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia.
- 1992 — In England, a fire breaks out in Windsor Castle, badly damaging the castle and causing over £50 million worth of damage. ↗(34 years ago)
more
On 20 November 1992, a major fire broke out in Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and one of the official residences of the British monarch. Beginning in the Queen's Private Chapel, it spread rapidly through the State Apartments and became one of the largest peacetime fire‑fighting operations in modern British history.
1991 — An Azerbaijani MI-8 helicopter carrying 19 peacekeeping mission team with officials and journalists from Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan is shot down by Armenian military forces in Khojavend District of Azerbaijan. ↗(35 years ago)more
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental landlocked country at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Turkey, via the exclave of Nakhchivan, and Armenia to ...
Notable births
2002 — Madisyn Shipman, American actress ↗(24 years ago)more
Madisyn Shipman is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for playing Kenzie Bell in the Nickelodeon sitcom Game Shakers.
2001 — Caty McNally, American tennis player ↗(25 years ago)more
Catherine "Caty" McNally is an American professional tennis player. She achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 54 on 22 May 2023 and her best WTA doubles ranking of No. 11 on 4 April 2022. She has won nine doubles titles on the WTA Tour, three of them with Coco Gauff, and the pair also reached the final of the 2021 US Open.
2001 — Adrien Truffert, French footballer ↗(25 years ago)more
Adrien Lilian Gaëtan Truffert is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Bournemouth.
2000 — Connie Talbot, English singer-songwriter ↗(26 years ago)more
Connie Victoria Elizabeth Talbot is a British singer who was the runner-up of the first series of Britain's Got Talent in 2007. She then signed with Rainbow Recording Company and released her debut album Over the Rainbow on 26 November 2007, which has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide and reached number one in three countries.
1997 — Levi Garcia, Trinidadian footballer ↗(29 years ago)more
Levi Samuel García is a Trinidadian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow and the Trinidad and Tobago national team.
1996 — Blaž Janc, Slovenian handballer ↗(30 years ago)more
Blaž Janc is a Slovenian professional handball player who plays for FC Barcelona and the Slovenia national team. He is the older brother of fellow handball player Mitja Janc.
Notable deaths
- 2024 — Ursula Haverbeck, German Holocaust denier (born 1928) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Ursula Hedwig Meta Haverbeck-Wetzel was a German neo-Nazi activist. Between 2004 and her death in 2024, she had been the subject of multiple lawsuits and convictions for Holocaust denial, which is a criminal offense in Germany.
2024 — Andy Paley, American songwriter (born 1952) ↗(2 years ago)more
Andrew Douglas Paley was an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and composer. During the 1970s, he performed around the Boston area with numerous bands and formed the Paley Brothers, a power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley.
2024 — John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1938) ↗(2 years ago)more
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007.
2024 — Jodi Rell, American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut (born 1946) ↗(2 years ago)more
Mary Carolyn "Jodi" Rell, known as M. Jodi Rell, was an American politician who served as the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 to 2011. Rell also had served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004 under Governor John G. Rowland, and became governor after Rowland resigned from office.
2020 — Jan Morris, Welsh historian, author and travel writer (born 1926) ↗(6 years ago)more
Catharine Jan Morris was a Welsh historian, author and travel writer. She was known particularly for the Pax Britannica trilogy (1968–1978), a history of the British Empire, and for portraits of cities, including Oxford, Venice, Trieste, Hong Kong and New York City.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (325) | 5^2 × 13 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (41) | 41 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 20112026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -20.43° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 30 days |