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On this day in history - November 20

What Happened On This Day – November 20

  • 1998 First module of the International Space Station launched

    Called Zarya, the module is Russian-built and American owned. The International Space Station (ISS) is a manned artificial satellite was built and operated by 5 space agencies – the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, US’s NASA, Russia's Roscosmos, and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. The brightest man-made object visible to the naked eye from Earth, ISS orbits the Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour) at an average distance of 248 miles (400 kilometers) from Earth.

  • 1985 Windows 1.0 released

    Nearly two years after it was announced, Microsoft released its first graphical operating system. The OS made it easier for users to navigate on their computer screens. It came with Paint, Notepad, Calculator and a game called Reversi.

  • 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child

    The United Nations General Assembly adopted the document that laid out the rights of children around the world. The day is also annually celebrated as Universal Children's Day.

  • 1945 Nuremberg trials begin

    The trials were led by the International Military Tribunal and were held to prosecute high-ranking members of the Nazi party for war crimes committed during the Second World War. Of the 23 people tried, 14 were sentenced to death.

  • 1923 Traffic signal patented

    American Garret Morgan was awarded the patent for an automated traffic signal. Morgan’s invention was not the first of its kind, but unlike the other traffic signals which just had stop and go signals, his traffic light had a third signal that warned drivers about changes in the stop and go lights. This signal was the precursor for today’s yellow light.

Illustration of stork, signifying birth

Births On This Day,
November 20

  • 1981 Sam Fuld

    American baseball player

  • 1942 Joe Biden

    American politician, 46th President of the United States

  • 1925 Robert F. Kennedy

    American politician, 64th United States Attorney General

  • 1912 Otto von Habsburg

    Austrian/German son of Charles I of Austria

  • 1750 Tipu Sultan

    Indian army officer, king

Illustration of tombstone, signifying death

Deaths On This Day,
November 20

  • 2006 Robert Altman

    American director, screenwriter

  • 1975 Francisco Franco

    Spanish general, politician, Caudillo of Spain

  • 1925 Alexandra of Denmark

  • 1910 Leo Tolstoy

    Russian author

  • 1737 Caroline of Ansbach