The "First Thanksgiving" is celebrated by Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Native Americans in Massachusetts.
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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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The Mayflower, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew, spots land (current Cape Cod) on November 19, 1620 sixty six days after leaving on their trip from Plymouth, England on September 16. (All dates shown as Gregorian Calendar).
The Mayflower and its companion the smaller vessel the Speedwell had originally departed from South Hampton on August 15 but the Speedwell was forced to return to port twice,and was declared unseaworthy. After taking on some of the Speedwell's passengers and supplies, the Mayflower set out alone on its historic journey on September 16. More
The Mayflower Compact is signed by the Pilgrims on board the Mayflower ship in Cape Cod Bay on November 21, 1620 defining the rules for self-government in their yet to be established Colony. Then they proceeded to Land On Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts. More
William Shakespeare's "First Folio" is published, on November 8, 1623. The first recorded retail purchase took place on December 5, 1623. The volume contained 36 plays, 18 of which had never been previously printed and might have been lost otherwise, including Macbeth, The Tempest, and Julius Caesar.
It was compiled seven years after Shakespeare's death in 1616 by his fellow actors and friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell. It is believed that approximately 750 copies were originally printed. There are today, 235 known copies survive, with the largest collection (82 copies) held at the Folger Shakespeare
St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is completed and consecrated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626.
The first documented observation of a transit of Venus is made by English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks.
The Long Parliament of England is convened by King Charles I, motivated by his need to raise money to fund a war against the Scots and could not raise it without parliamentary consent.
Named for its unusual length (It lasted until 1660), the Parliament challenged royal authority, limiting the King's power, and establishing parliamentary supremacy, ultimately leading to the English Civil War.
Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman repors on November 24 1642, the sighting the Island of Tasmania, becoming the first European to do so. He named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt, after the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. In 1856 it was renamed Tasmania in honor of Abel Tasman. More
The Battle of Fincastle takes place during the English Civil War, resulting in a victory for the Royalists.
The Treaty of the Pyrenees is signed on November 7, 1659, between France and Spain, ending the Franco-Spanish War.
The British Royal Society was founded on November 28, 1660, by a group of 12 men inspired by a lecture from Christopher Wren at Gresham College in London.
The group who met on this date are considered the "Founder Fellows" of the society. King Charles II granted a royal charter in 1662, officially naming the organization the "Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge" in 1663.
Jean-Baptiste Lully, the Italian-born French composer, premieres his opera "Cadmus et Hermione" at the Palace of Versailles.
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1674, c. November 15
Pirate Henry Morgan is knighted by England's King Charles II. Despite his controversial past as a privateer and buccaneer, Morgan was seen as a national hero in England. Following his knighthood, he returned to Jamaica as the Lieutenant Governor, a position he held until his death in 1688.
Danish scientist Ole Rømer presents the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light to the Royal Academy of Sciences on November 21, 1676. He had calculated the speed of light to be approximately 220,000 kilometers per second. It was the first quantitative measurement of a finite speed of light. His finding contradicted the belief held at the time that light traveled instantaneously. It was a great Achievement although it was about 25% less than the actual value, More
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One of the brightest comets of the 17th century, the "Great comet of 1680, (C/1680 V1), is first spotted by German astronomer Gottfried Kirch, using a telescope on November 14, 1680. It is now known as Kirch's Comet.
It was visible with the naked eye by early December and was particularly brilliant between December 19 and 25. it was the first comet discovered using a telescope. It was visible throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It captured the public imagination and was of great scientific significance for astronomers like Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley.
William of Orange lands in England on November 5, 1688, at Brixham in Devon, leading an invasion force that was invited by a group of English politicians known as the "Immortal Seven". His arrival sparked the Glorious Revolution, which led to the deposition of the reigning monarch, James II, and the eventual coronation of William and his wife, Mary II.
English pirate Henry Every (also known as "Captain Kidd") and his crew capture the Ganj-i-Sawai, a wealthy Indian ship.
Sweden's King Charles XII assumes the throne at the age of 18, beginning his long and eventful reign.
Anders Celsius, the Swedish astronomer and inventor of the Celsius temperature scale, is born.
The first Eddystone Lighthouse in England and one of the world's earliest lighthouses, built by Henry Winstanley and completed in 1699, is destroyed in a storm on November 27, 1703. Winstanley and his five assistants inside the lighthouse perished. The loss of the first lighthouse led to a series of subsequent lighthouses on the Eddystone Rocks.