November 23
History’s first-recorded strike by Egyptians working on public works projects for King Ramses III in the Valley of the Kings. They were protesting having gone 20 days without pay, portions of grain, and put their tools down. Exact date estimated, described as within “the sixth month of the 29th year” of Ramses’ reign in “The Spirit of Ancient Egypt,” by Ana Ruiz. – 1170 B.C.E..
Ronald Reagan, president of the United States, signs off on a top secret document, National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), which gives the Central Intelligence Agency the power to recruit and support a 500-man force of Nicaraguan rebels to conduct covert actions against the leftist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. A budget of $19 million was established for that purpose. NSDD-17 marked the beginning of official U.S. support for the so-called Contras in their struggle against the Sandinistas. – 1981.
November 24
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British naturalist Charles Darwin, is published in England. Darwin’s theory argued that organisms gradually evolve through a process he called natural selection. In natural selection, organisms with genetic variations that suit their environment tend to propagate more descendants than organisms of the same species that lack the variation, thus influencing the overall genetic makeup of the species. – 1859.
On this day, 111 U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers raid Tokyo for the first time since Captain Jimmy Doolittle’s raid in 1942. Their target: The Nakajima aircraft engine works. – 1944.
November 25
The so-called “storm of the century” hits the eastern part of the United States and kills hundreds and causes millions of dollars in damages. Some areas were blanketed with several feet of snow for several days and travel was impossible for nearly a week in some places. The storm was unique because it featured extremely strong winds and heavy snow and record high and low temperatures. In Pittsburgh, Pa. 30 inches of snow fell in a blinding snowstorm, but further north in Buffalo it was 50 degrees. – 1950.
“The Mousetrap,” a murder-mystery written by the novelist and playwright Agatha Christie, opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. The crowd-pleasing whodunit went on to become the longest continuously running play in history, with more than 10 million individuals to date attending its more than 20,000 performances in London’s West End. The continuous run ended March 16, 2020, due to COVID-19. – 1952.
November 26
Six young women burn to death and 19 more die when they leap from the fourth-story windows of a blazing factory in Newark, N.J.. The floors and stairs were wooden; the only door from which the women could flee was locked. – 1910.
Franklin D. Roosevelt. president of the United States, signs a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. – 1941.
November 27
Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, to give rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to go to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!” – 1095.
An unusual storm system finally dissipates over England after wreaking havoc on the country for nearly two weeks. Featuring hurricane strength winds, the storm kills some where between 10,000 and 30,000 persons. – 1703.
November 28
After sailing through the dangerous straits below South America, that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships to become the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic. – 1520.
Frank Duryea wins the first motor-car race in the United States, a 54-mile loop along Lake Michigan’s shore from Chicago to Waukegan and back again. It was held during one of Chicago’s great snowstorms, and the contestants’ cars got stuck in snowdrifts, slid into other vehicles and stalled repeatedly. Duryea, who completed the race in 10 hours and 23 minutes, finished with an average speed of 5.25 miles per hour. – 1895.
November 29
In spite of strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state. – 1947
Making good on his most dramatic presidential campaign promise, newly-elected Dwight D. Eisenhower goes to Korea to see whether he can find the key to ending the bitter and frustrating Korean War. At the end of the Korean War the United States suffered 36,516 casualties and spent nearly $70 billion, approximately $660 billion in today’s dollars. – 1952.