The United States Marine Corps is officially established by the Continental Congress. More
Browse Historical Events by Month:
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.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
British forces capture Fort Washington in New York during the American Revolutionary War.
Sint Eustatius, then a Dutch possession island in the north eastern Caribbean Sea, becomes the first foreign government to officially recognize the nascent United States of America as the cannon at Fort Oranje fired a salute to the brig Andrew Doria, which was flying the new Stars and Stripes flag.
The island was probably the major source of supplies for the rebelling North American British colonies. Sint Eustatius was considered to be speaking for the Netherlands in the matter and Great Britain lodged a complaint with The Hague in early 1777. Sint Eustatius is now a special municipality within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
General George Washington learns of a conspiracy to discredit him with Congress and have him replaced by General Horatio Gates. The conspiracy to discredit him was led by Thomas Conway (The Conway Cabal). More
The Continental Congress agrees to adopt the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Maryland was the last of the 13 States to ratify the agreement on March 1,1781. More
The first free flight of a hot air balloon carrying a human takes place in Paris, France. The balloon carried two men, Francois Pilatrê de Rozier and Francois Laurent, Marquis of Arlanders. The hot air balloon made of paper and silk was made by the Montgolfier brothers. More
The last British troops evacuate New York City, marking the end of the American Revolutionary War.
North Carolina ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the12th State.
The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair’s Defeat, named after the expedition’s leader, Major General Arthur St. Clair, takes place against a multitribal confederation of Native Americans formed to resist colonial expansion into their historical homelands. The battle ends with the defeat of the large contingent of U.S. troops along the Wabash River in western Ohio. Of the 1,400 U.S. army and support personnel , 918 were killed and 276 wounded. More
The first U.S. Catholic college, Georgetown University, is founded in Washington, D.C.
French revolutionary Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne becomes Prime Minister, marking a phase of the French Revolution.
John Jay, on behalf of the United States, signs the Jay Treaty with Great Britain in London, on November 19, 1794, resolving disputes, easing tensions and avoiding war between the two countries.
The Treaty, officially the "Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation" was intended to resolve post-Revolutionary War issues like British forts in the Northwest, U.S. debt repayment, and trade disputes, ultimately preventing war but was very unpopular at home.
Napoleon Bonaparte stages a coup d'état, establishing himself as First Consul of France.
American astronomer, Andrew Ellicott sees the Leonid meteor shower and records and reports the event in what it is believed to be the first time a meteor shower was recorded in North America.
The Leonids are a prolific annual meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel–Tuttle . They occur between 15 and 20 November each year and are also known for their spectacular meteor storms that occur about every 33 years.res They enter the atmosphere at 44 miles per second, and begin to glow at an altitude of around 96 miles. More
President John Adams moves into a nearly completed, White House, during the last year of his only term as President. He sent a note to his wife Abigail, expected to arrive in Washington later that month, closing his letter to her saying “Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”
The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C., marking the city's official establishment as the nation's capital.
The U.S. Congress holds its first session in the partially completed Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, exploring the western portion of the United States, reaches the Pacific Ocean after a journey of about 18 months, arriving at the mouth of the Columbia River and sighted the immense blue ocean they had been searching for. They had reached the Pacific near Chinook Point, which is in present-day Washington, close to where the Columbia River meets the ocean.
The Battle of Lübeck takes place during the War of the Fifth Coalition, with French forces defeating the Austrians.
Lieutenant Zebulon Pike first lays eyes on Pikes Peak, which he described as a "small blue cloud" on the horizon. Pike was leading an expedition searching for the source of the Arkansas and Red Rivers in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, when they crossed the plains and reached the borderlands between the United States and Spain. Pike's writings about the mountain were published in several languages and were widely distributed. In the 1840s, explorer John C. Frémont renamed the mountain after Pike.