November 15
November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 46 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
- 1315 - Battle of Morgarten the Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I.
- 1515 - Thomas Cardinal Wolsey is invested as a Cardinal
- 1532 - Commanded by Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistadors under Hernando de Soto meet Inca leader Atahualpa for the first time outside Cajamarca, arranging a meeting on the city plaza the following day
- 1533 - Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: After 16 months of debate the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation.
- 1791 - The first U.S Catholic college, Georgetown University, opens its doors.
- 1806 - Pike expedition: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike sees a distant mountain peak while near the Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains (it was later named Pikes Peak).
- 1854 - In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is given the necessary royal concession.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman burns Atlanta, Georgia and starts Sherman's March to the Sea.
- 1889 - Brazil is declared a republic by Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca and Emperor Pedro II is deposed in a military coup.
- 1893 - FC Basel was founded
- 1920 - First assembly of the League of Nations is held in Geneva.
- 1926 - The NBC radio network opens with 24 stations.
- 1935 - Manuel Quezon is inaugurated as the first president of the Philippines.
- 1939 - In Washington, D.C., US President Franklin D. Roosevelt lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
- 1941 - Holocaust: SS chief Heinrich Himmler orders the arrest and deportation to concentration camps of all homosexuals in Germany, with the exception of certain top Nazi officials.
- 1942 - World War II: First flight of the Heinkel He 219.
- 1942 - World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal ends in a decisive Allied victory.
- 1943 - Holocaust: German SS leader Heinrich Himmler orders that Gypsies were to be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps". (see Porajmos)
- 1948 - Louis Stephen St. Laurent succeeds William Lyon Mackenzie King as Prime Minister of Canada. King had the longest combined time (3 terms, 22 years in total) as Premier in Commonwealth of Nations history.
- 1949 - Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte are executed for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.
- 1959 - Four members of the Herbert Clutter Family are murdered at their farm outside Holcomb, Kansas.
- 1960 - The Polaris missile is test launched.
- 1966 - Gemini program: Gemini 12 splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1966 - A Boeing 727 carrying Pan Am Flight 708 crashes near Berlin, Germany, killing all three people on board.
- 1967 - The only fatality of the X-15 program occurs during the 191st flight when Air Force test pilot Michael J. Adams loses control of his aircraft which is destroyed mid-air over the Mojave Desert.
- 1969 - Cold War: The Soviet submarine K-19 collides with the American submarine USS Gato in the Barents Sea.
- 1969 - Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 250,000-500,000 protesters staged a peaceful demonstration against the war, including a symbolic "March Against Death".
- 1970 - The Soviet Lunokhod 1 moon rover lands on the moon.
- 1971 - Intel releases world's first commercial single-chip microprocessor, the 4004.
- 1976 - René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois take power to become the first Quebec government of the 20th century clearly in favour of independence.
- 1978 - A chartered DC-8 crashes near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 183.
- 1979 - A package from the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski begins smoking in the cargo hold of a flight from Chicago to Washington, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
- 1983 - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is founded. Recognised only by Turkey
- 1985 - A research assistant is injured when a package from the Unabomber addressed to a University of Michigan professor explodes.
- 1985 - The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed at Hillsborough Castle by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald.
- 1987 - Continental Airlines Flight 1713, a Douglas DC-9-14 jetliner, crashes in a snowstorm at Denver, Colorado Stapleton International Airport, killing 28 occupants, while 54 survive the crash.
- 1988 - In the Soviet Union, the unmanned Shuttle Buran is launched on her first and last space flight.
- 1988 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council.
- 1988 - The first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, is launched in the Netherlands.
- 1990 - Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis launches with flight STS-38.
- 1993 - 13 Cuban refugees land in Florida after stealing a crop-duster in Cuba.
- 2000 - A chartered Antonov AN-24 crashes after takeoff from Luanda, Angola killing more than 40 people. New Jharkhand state came into existence in India.
- 2001 - The Xbox console was released.
- 2002 - Hu Jintao becomes general secretary of the Communist Party of China.
- 2003 - The first day of the 2003 Istanbul Bombings takes place, to be followed by additional bombings on November 20.
- 2005 - Boeing formally launches the stretched Boeing 747-8 variant with orders from Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
- 2007 - A devastating Cyclone named Sidr hit Bangladesh, killing an estimated 5000 people and destroyed the world's largest mangrove forest, Sundarbans.
Births
- 1316 - John I of France (d. 1316)
- 1397 - Pope Nicholas V (d. 1455)
- 1498 - Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Portugal and France (d. 1558)
- 1511 - Johannes Secundus, Dutch poet (d. 1536)
- 1556 - Jacques-Davy Duperron, French cardinal (d. 1618)
- 1559 - Archduke Albert of Austria, Governor of the Low Countries (d. 1621)
- 1607 - Madeleine de Scudéry, French writer (d. 1701)
- 1660 - Hermann von der Hardt, German historian (d. 1746)
- 1661 - Christoph von Graffenried, Swiss settler in Americas (d. 1743)
- 1688 - Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician (d. 1757)
- 1692 - Eusebius Amort, German Catholic theologian (d. 1775)
- 1708 - William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1778)
- 1738 - William Herschel, German-born astronomer (d. 1822)
- 1741 - Johann Kaspar Lavater, German philosopher (d. 1801)
- 1746 - Joseph Quesnel, French Canadian composer and playwright (d. 1809)
- 1757 - Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher, Danish surgeon (d. 1830)
- 1784 - Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (d. 1860)
- 1793 - Michel Chasles, French mathematician (d. 1880)
- 1852 - Tewfik Pasha, Khedive of Egypt (d. 1892)
- 1859 - Christopher Hornsrud, Prime Minister of Norway (d. 1960)
- 1862 - Gerhart Hauptmann, German dramatist, Nobel laureate (d. 1946)
- 1874 - August Krogh, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1949)
- 1874 - Dimitrios Golemis, Greek athlete (d. 1941)
- 1879 - Lewis Stone, American actor (d. 1953)
- 1881 - Franklin Pierce Adams, American newspaper columnist (d. 1960)
- 1882 - Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1965)
- 1886 - René Guénon, French-Egyptian author (d. 1951)
- 1887 - Marianne Moore, American poet (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Georgia O'Keeffe, American painter (d. 1986)
- 1889 - Manuel II of Portugal (d. 1932)
- 1890 - Richmal Crompton, British author (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Averell Harriman, American businessman (d. 1986)
- 1891 - Erwin Rommel, German field marshal (d. 1944)
- 1895 - Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
- 1895 - Antoni Słonimski, Polish writer (d. 1976)
- 1897 - Aneurin Bevan, British politician (d. 1960)
- 1897 - Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer (d. 1988)
- 1899 - Avdy Andresson, Estonian statesman (d. 1990)
- 1899 - Iskander Mirza, first President of Pakistan (d. 1969)
- 1903 - Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1974)
- 1905 - Mantovani, Italian-born composer (d. 1980)
- 1906 - Curtis LeMay, U.S. Air Force general (d. 1990)
- 1907 - Claus von Stauffenberg, German, leader of failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler (d. 1944, by execution)
- 1913 - Guy Green, English film director (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Joseph Wapner, American judge
- 1925 - Howard Baker, American political advisor
- 1925 - Yuli Daniel, Russian writer (d. 1988)
- 1927 - Gregor Mackenzie, British politician (d. 1992)
- 1928 - C. W. McCall, American singer
- 1928 - John Orchard, British actor (d. 1995)
- 1929 - Ed Asner, American actor
- 1930 - J. G. Ballard, British author
- 1931 - Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya
- 1931 - Pascal Lissouba, Congo politician
- 1932 - Petula Clark, English singer
- 1932 - Clyde McPhatter, American singer (d. 1972)
- 1932 - Alvin Plantinga, American philosopher
- 1936 - Wolf Biermann, German writer
- 1937 - Little Willie John, American singer (d. 1968)
- 1937 - Yaphet Kotto, American actor
- 1940 - Sam Waterston, American actor
- 1942 - Daniel Barenboim, Argentine-born conductor and pianist
- 1945 - Roger Donaldson, Australian producer/director
- 1945 - Bob Gunton, American actor
- 1945 - Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, Norwegian (By Birth) singer (ABBA)
- 1947 - Bill Richardson, American politician
- 1951 - Beverly D'Angelo, American actress
- 1952 - Zoltán Buday, Hungarian born actor
- 1952 - Randy Savage, American professional wrestler
- 1954 - Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland
- 1955 - Georgie Born, English academic, anthropologist and musician (Henry Cow)
- 1955 - Henry Corra, American documentarian
- 1956 - Michael Hampton, American guitarist (Funkadelic)
- 1956 - Brian Douglas Wells, American criminal (d. 2003)
- 1957 - Kevin Eubanks, American jazz guitarist
- 1957 - Ray McKinnon, American film actor/director
- 1961 - Ian Reid, Australian educator
- 1963 - Benny Elias, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1963 - Andrew Castle, English television presenter and former tennis professional
- 1965 - Nigel Bond, English snooker player
- 1965 - Stefan Pfeiffer, German swimmer
- 1966 - Rachel True, American actress
- 1967 - Pedro Borbón, Jr., Dominican baseball player
- 1967 - Greg Anthony, American basketball player
- 1967 - E-40, American rapper
- 1967 - François Ozon, French film director
- 1967 - Gustavo Poyet, Uruguayan footballer
- 1968 - Jennifer Charles, American singer/songwriter
- 1968 - Ol' Dirty Bastard, American rapper (d. 2004)
- 1969 - Shane Mack, American politician
- 1970 - Jack Ingram, American singer and songwriter
- 1970 - Patrick Mboma, Cameroonian footballer
- 1971 - Jay Harrington, American actor
- 1972 - Jonny Lee Miller, English actor
- 1973 - Jesse Merz, American actor
- 1973 - Sydney Tamiia Poitier, American actress
- 1974 - Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer
- 1975 - Scott Henshall, British fashion designer
- 1975 - Yannick Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Brandon DiCamillo, American comedian
- 1976 - Virginie Ledoyen, French actress
- 1977 - Sean Murray, American actor
- 1977 - Peter Phillips, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II
- 1977 - Logan Whitehurst, American musician (d. 2006)
- 1979 - Josemi, Spanish footballer
- 1979 - Brett Lancaster, Australian cyclist
- 1980 - Ace Young, American singer
- 1981 - Lorena Ochoa, Mexican golfer
- 1981 - Drew Hodgdon, American football player
- 1982 - D. J. Fitzpatrick, National Football League kicker
- 1982 - Joe Kowalewski, American football player
- 1982 - Lofa Tatupu, National Football League
- 1983 - DJ Skee, American DJ/Personality
- 1983 - Laura Smet, French actress
- 1983 - Fernando Verdasco, Spanish tennis player
- 1986 - Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player
- 1986 - Jeffree Star, American model, fashion designer, make-up artist and singer-songwriter
- 1987 - Isaiah Osbourne, English footballer
- 1987 - Ian Hecox, Member of Smosh
- 1988 - Zena Grey, American actress
- 1990 - Kanata Hongō, Japanese actor
- 1991 - Shailene Woodley, American Actress
- 1993 - Saaya Irie, Japanese Actress, singer
Deaths
- 655 - Penda, King of Mercia
- 1028 - Constantine VIII Byzantine Emperor (b. 960)
- 1136 - Margrave Leopold III of Austria (b. 1073)
- 1280 - Albertus Magnus, German theologian, bishop, and philosopher
- 1463 - Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini, Prince of Taranto and Constable of Naples
- 1544 - King Jungjong of Joseon (b. 1506)
- 1579 - Ferenc Dávid, Hungarian religious reformer (b. 1510)
- 1628 - Roque Gonzales, Paraguayan missionary (b. 1576)
- 1630 - Johannes Kepler, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1571)
- 1670 - Comenius, Czech writer (b. 1592)
- 1691 - Aelbert Cuyp, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
- 1706 - Tsangyang Gyatso, 6th Dalai Lama (b. 1683)
- 1712 - James Douglas, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish nationalist (b. 1658)
- 1712 - Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun, English politician (b. 1675)
- 1787 - Christoph Willibald Gluck, German composer (b. 1714)
- 1794 - John Witherspoon, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1723)
- 1795 - Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo, French painter (b. 1719)
- 1819 - Daniel Rutherford, Scottish chemist and physician (b. 1749)
- 1853 - Queen Maria II of Portugal (b. 1819)
- 1908 - Empress Dowager Cixi, Chinese ruler (b. 1835)
- 1910 - Wilhelm Raabe, German writer (b. 1831)
- 1916 - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish author, Nobel laureate (b. 1846)
- 1917 - Émile Durkheim, French sociologist (b. 1858)
- 1919 - Alfred Werner, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1866)
- 1919 - Mohammad Farid, an influential Egyptian political figure.
- 1949 - Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, conspirators against Mahatma Gandhi (b. Narayan Apte - 1911)
- 1954 - Lionel Barrymore, American actor (b. 1878)
- 1958 - Tyrone Power, American actor (b. 1914)
- 1959 - Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1869)
- 1961 - Elsie Ferguson, American actress (b.1883)
- 1963 - Fritz Reiner, Hungarian conductor (b. 1888)
- 1965 - Dawn Powell, American poet (b. 1896)
- 1966 - Dimitrios Tofalos, Greek weightlifter (b. 1877)
- 1967 - Michael J. Adams, American test pilot (b. 1930)
- 1971 - Rudolf Abel, Soviet spy (b. 1903)
- 1971 - Edie Sedgwick, American actress and model (b. 1943)
- 1976 - Jean Gabin, French actor (b. 1904)
- 1978 - Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (b. 1901)
- 1982 - Martin De Alzaga, Argentine racing driver (b. 1901)
- 1983 - Charlie Grimm, American baseball player (b. 1898)
- 1983 - John le Mesurier, English actor (b. 1912)
- 1988 - Billo Frómeta, Dominican orchestra conductor, arranger and composer (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Alydar, American racehorse (b. 1975)
- 1994 - Elizabeth George Speare, American author (b. 1908)
- 1996 - Alger Hiss, American government official and alleged spy (b. 1904)
- 1997 - Saul Chaplin, American composer and musical director (b. 1912)
- 1998 - Stokely Carmichael, American civil rights activist (b. 1941)
- 1998 - Ludvik Danek, Czechoslovak discus thrower (b. 1937)
- 2002 - Myra Hindley, English murderess (b. 1942)
- 2003 - Speedy West, Country Music Hall of Fame Steel Guitarist (b. 1924)
- 2003 - Ray Lewis, Canadian athlete (b. 1910)
- 2003 - Dorothy Loudon, American actress (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Laurence Tisch, American businessman (b. 1923)
- 2004 - Elmer L. Andersen, Governor of Minnesota (b. 1909)
- 2004 - John Morgan, Canadian comedian (b. 1930)
- 2005 - Dr. Adrian Rogers, American Southern Baptist Minister and leader (b. 1931)
- 2005 - Arto Salminen, Finnish writer (b. 1959)
- 2006 - Ana Carolina Reston, Brazilian model (b. 1985)
- 2006 - David K. Wyatt, American historian (b. 1937)
- 2007 - Joe Nuxhall, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances
- Roman festivals - Festival in honor of Feronia (others say 13 November)
- Roman Catholic Saints - Albert the Great, Saint Zechariah, Saint Leopold, Abibus of Edessa, Hugh Faringdon, Saint Malo, Saint Mechell, Didier of Cahors
- Eastern Orthodoxy - Feast of Saint Philip the Apostle and the beginning of Winter Lent
- Austria - Saint Leopold's day -- no school in Vienna, Lower Austria and Upper Austria
- Belgium - King's Feast, not an official holiday, but some state institutions are closed; Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, observed only in the German-speaking Community (since 1990), not in the rest of Belgium.
- Brazil - Republic Proclamation Day (1889)
- Palestine - Independence Day (declared 1988)
- USA - America Recycles Day
- Japan - Shichi-Go-San - traditional rite of passage and festival day for three and seven year-old girls and three and five year-old boys
- USA - Alyshia's Birthday!