George W. Bush is reelected as President of the United States, defeating John Kerry.
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What Happened in November?
Wars, expanding empires, and critical deaths. Explore significant events and milestones from November that have helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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A series of coordinated bombings in Amman, Jordan, target three hotels, killing 60 people and injuring hundreds. Al-Qaeda in Iraq quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.
A private event at New York City’s famous Rainbow Room, with Kenny G, Aerosmith, 50 Cent and other stars, makes the headlines when it became known that it was a $10 million bat mitzvah for 13 year old Elizabeth Brooks, daughter of David H. Brooks, founder and CEO of DHB Industries a defense contractor and body-armor maker.
Two years after the lavish event, which received much coverage and social media criticism, Brooks was served with a 21-count federal indictment, for securities fraud, insider trading, tax evasion and obstruction of justice including raiding his company’s coffers for personal gain including the $10 million he used to pay for his daughter’s bat mitzvah. He was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 17 years in prison where he died in 2016. More
Barack Obama is elected President of the United States defeating Republican John McCain, thus becoming the first Black president of the United States,
A series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai by 10 men from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group begin on November 26, 2008, targeting multiple locations, including the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the Oberoi Trident hotel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, and the Nariman House Jewish center, resulting in 164 deaths and over 300 injuries.
The attacks concluded after three days, with nine of the terrorists killed during the operation. The sole surviving terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, was captured, put on trial, and later executed in November 2012.
Barack Obama is reelected as President of the United States, defeating Mitt Romney.
India launched its first interplanetary spacecraft, the Mars Orbiter Mission. India built Mangalyaan (“Mars craft” in English) to study the Red Planet and test key technologies required for exploring the inner solar system. The Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014. More
Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013. it was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded with multiple landfalls, causing widespread destruction and at least 6,300 deaths and over 1,000 missing people.
A historic agreement is reached between Iran and six world powers, known as the Joint Plan of Action, to limit Iran's nuclear program.
One World Trade Center, also called "Freedom Tower", officially opens its doors on November 3rd, 2014. The building with a total height of 1,776 feet, in reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was approved by the United States Continental Congress.
One WTC, the tallest building in the United States was built on the site of the former Twin Towers, which were destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. More
Kidfly182, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The Rosetta spacecraft's Philae lander successfully lands on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
A series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, France, leave 130 people dead and hundreds injured.
The Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change enters into force. It was originally adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France. on December 12, 2015. Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” More
Donald Trump is elected as President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton.
The Colombian government and FARC sign a new, revised deal which is ratified by the Colombian Congress.
The Zimbabwean military initiates a coup d'état, leading to the resignation of President Robert Mugabe after 37 years in power.
The 100th anniversary of the end of World War I is commemorated worldwide.
SpaceX launches its Starship prototype for the first time on a suborbital flight.
Joe Biden is elected as the 46th President of the United States, defeating incumbent President Donald Trump.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech announce positive results from their COVID-19 vaccine trial.