On This Day in History: November 20

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

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

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

Oman's National Day. Officially the Sultanate of Oman,  annual celebration of the founding of the Al Bu Said dynasty, which has ruled Oman since 1744. Expand +

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

The American whaling ship Essex, under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr. is rammed by a sperm whale and later sank. Although all 20 crewmen initially survived, only 8 were rescued following an arduous journey that devolved into cannibalism. The sinking inspired in part the climactic scene in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851). More

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.  Expand +

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

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.