History

Abigail Adams, born November 11, 1744, was the wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams — and one of the most influential women of the American Revolution. She was the first woman in American history to be both a president’s wife and a president’s mother, and she earned that distinction the hard way: through decades ...

On November 11, 1987, Vincent van Gogh’s Irises sold at auction for a record US$53.6 million, then the highest price ever paid for a painting. The hammer came down at Sotheby’s in New York, and the art world caught its breath. US$53.6 million was a sum no painting had ever commanded before. The sale made headlines around the world, and ...

On November 11, 2004, Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and first president of the Palestinian Authority, died in a Paris hospital, aged 75, after weeks of illness. The passing of Yasser Arafat closed one of the longest chapters in modern Middle Eastern history. For decades, he had been the face of the Palestinian national movement, a figure ...

On November 11, 1889, Washington became the 42nd state of the United States of America. Admitted to the Union just days after North Dakota and South Dakota, Washington’s statehood completed the settlement of the Pacific Northwest, bringing the Evergreen State — with its forests, ports, and mountains — into the Union. Picture it: a vast, rugged territory at the far ...

On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod, and 41 male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact — agreeing to submit to a government chosen by common consent and to obey all laws made for the good of the colony. It was an early experiment in self-government in America, and a founding document in the story of American democracy. ...

On November 11, 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe observed a supernova in the constellation Cassiopeia — a brilliant new star where none had been seen before. His careful observations showed that the “new star” was far beyond the Moon, challenging the ancient belief that the heavens were unchanging. Imagine looking up at the familiar pattern of Cassiopeia and seeing a ...

On November 11, 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council opened in Rome, one of the most important councils in medieval church history. Called by Pope Innocent III and attended by hundreds of bishops and abbots, this great gathering — the 12th ecumenical council — issued 70 decrees that shaped medieval Catholic life, defining doctrine, reforming the clergy, requiring annual confession and ...

November 10 holidays, observances and history: here is everything the day holds, from science and Sesame Street to Stanley and Livingstone, and the birthdays of Schiller, Burton, and Morricone. November 10 is a Tuesday in 2026, and a day of science, service, and story: it is World Science Day for Peace and Development, it is the US Marine Corps Birthday, ...

Miranda Lambert — born on November 10, 1983, in Longview, Texas — became a highly acclaimed American country music singer-songwriter, recognized for her successful solo career and for her membership in the group Pistol Annies. Her songs, including The House That Built Me and Gunpowder & Lead, have won multiple Grammy Awards and made her the most awarded artist in ...

Brittany Murphy — born on November 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia — became an American actress known for Clueless (1995), Girl, Interrupted (1999), 8 Mile (2002), and Sin City (2005). Her versatile performances — comedy, drama, and voice work, including Luanne Platter in King of the Hill — made her one of the most recognizable young actresses of her generation. ...