On This Day - What Happened On November 20 | Britannica

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1910 Mexican Revolution launched by Francisco Madero On this day in 1910, Francisco Madero launched a failed revolt that sparked the Mexican Revolution by inspiring hope in such leaders as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, who then mobilized their armies against the government of Porfirio Díaz, the president of Mexico. Bain Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ggbain-01887)

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Selma Lagerlöf Swedish author bornNovember 20, 1858Marbacka, SwedendiedMarch 16, 1940 (aged 81)Marbacka, Sweden© The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm 1957 Goodluck Jonathan president of Nigeria 1942 Joe Biden president of the United States 1925 Robert F. Kennedy American politician 1924 Benoit Mandelbrot Polish-born French American mathematician 1917 Robert C. Byrd United States senator See All Biographies On This Day

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2024 Geno Auriemma, head coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, won his 1,217th game, making him the coach with the most wins across all of NCAA basketball history. How much do you know about other milestones in sports?Jamie Schwaberow—NCAA Photos/Getty Images 2022 The first World Cup to be held in the Middle East began. Ecuador defeated Qatar, the host country, in the tournament's first match. Find out which countries have won the most men's World Cup titles© Fauzan Fitria/Dreamstime.com 2015 American civil defense analyst Jonathan Pollard was released from prison, having served 30 years for selling classified information to Israel. Read our list of 10 famous names in the espionage game© Bettmann/Getty Images 1998 American tobacco companies signed an agreement with the governments of 46 U.S. states to settle the states' claims for reimbursement of Medicaid funds they had spent to treat smoking-related illnesses. The settlement cost the tobacco manufacturers $206 billion beyond the $40 billion they had agreed to pay four other states in 1997.© iStockphoto/Thinkstock 1992 A massive fire erupted at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England, causing the destruction of 115 rooms, though the art collection stored there was largely untouched. It took nearly five years to repair the damage. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about castlesMark Kerrison—In Pictures/Getty Images 1975 Francisco Franco, the ruler of Spain after his overthrow of the democratic government in 1939, died in Madrid at age 82. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous EuropeansArchive Photos—Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1969 Native activists, including members of the American Indian Movement, began an occupation of Alcatraz Island, protesting what they saw as the U.S. government's mistreatment of Native peoples. They were forced off the island in June 1971.AP Images 1947 The future Queen Elizabeth II married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey. Explore Elizabeth II: A Life in PicturesEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1925 American politician Robert F. Kennedy—who held several posts in the administration of his brother President John F. Kennedy and later served as a U.S. senator before being assassinated—was born in Massachusetts.U.S. News & World Report Magazine; photograph, Warren K. Leffler/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 03685u) 1917 For the first time, tanks were used effectively in warfare, by the British at the Battle of Cambrai. Learn more about the weapons of World War ICourtesy of the Imperial War Museum, London; photograph, Camera Press/Globe Photos 1910 Russian author Leo Tolstoy, suffering from pneumonia, died of heart failure at the railroad station of Astapovo. Find out if any of Leo Tolstoy's works made our list of 12 novels considered the “greatest book ever written.”The Bettmann Archive 1820 The American whaling ship Essex was rammed by a sperm whale and later sank, inspiring the climactic scene in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick (1851). Why is Moby Dick so famous?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-G613-T-66492) 1761 Pius VIII, who served as pope from 1829 to 1830, was born in the Papal States. How much do you know about popes?Alinari/Art Resource, New York SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.