Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on November 20th?

The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, where Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius, leading to Constantine's rise to power.

Roman general Pompey captures Jerusalem, expanding Roman control in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Diocletian is proclaimed as the Roman emperor, marking the beginning of the Tetrarchy.

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, dies, and his son Henry V succeeds him.

The Fourth Crusade begins with the siege of Zara (present-day Zadar, Croatia), diverting the Crusaders from their intended target, Jerusalem.

Pope Martin IV is elected as the 189th pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

King Robert the Bruce of Scotland dies, and his son, David II, succeeds him as King.

The Battle of Ankara takes place between the forces of Timur (Tamerlane) and the Ottoman Empire, resulting in a decisive victory for Timur.

The Treaty of Granada is signed, allowing Muslims in Spain to practice their religion freely under the Catholic Monarchs.

The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Amiens, ending hostilities during the Napoleonic Wars.

The Mexican Revolution begins as Francisco Madero, speaking at San Luis Potosi, in San Antonio, Texas, calls for an uprising against the elitist government and oligarchical policies of Porfirio Díaz who had already being in power for 33 years and had just just declared himself the winner after a mock election against Madero and was starting his 7th term as president. Although the revolt failed, it kindled revolutionary movements led by Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. All culminating with Díaz resignation in May 25,1911 and Madero being elected president, Madero was assassinated early in 1913 by Victoriano Huerta, a commander of the federal forces who dissolved the congress and assumed power. More upheavals followed and the revolution continued until 1920 when General Álvaro Obregón rose to power. More

The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals begin in Germany. More

US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard arrested for spying and passing classified information to Israel; he received a life sentence on Nov. 1, 1987. He was paroled in 2015 after 30 years in prison and is now living in Israel.

The first module of the International Space Station, named Zarya, is launched into orbit.

SpaceX launches its Starship prototype for the first time on a suborbital flight.