November 20 is the 324th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 325th in leap years. There are 41 days remaining until the end of the year.
Observances
- World Children's Day / Universal Children's Day (International): A day established by the United Nations to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. It commemorates the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and in 1989 when it adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Transgender Day of Remembrance (International): An annual observance commemorating transgender people who have been murdered as a result of transphobia.
- Día de la Revolución (Mexico): Commemorates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
- Industrialization Day (Africa)
- Teachers' Day (Vietnam)
Historical Events
- 1820 – An 80-ton sperm whale attacks the whaling ship Essex in the Pacific Ocean, inspiring Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.
- 1910 – The Mexican Revolution begins with Francisco I. Madero's call to arms against the autocratic rule of President Porfirio Díaz.
- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Cambrai begins, notable for the first mass use of tanks.
- 1945 – The Nuremberg Trials begin, bringing leading Nazi officials to justice for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- 1959 – The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
- 1985 – Microsoft releases Windows 1.0, its first graphical user interface for MS-DOS.
- 1989 – The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark human rights treaty.
- 1998 – The first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched by a Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Births
- 1889 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer (d. 1953)
- 1925 – Robert F. Kennedy, American politician, 64th U.S. Attorney General (d. 1968)
- 1942 – Joe Biden, American politician, 46th President of the United States.
- 1948 – Barbara Hendricks, American operatic soprano.
Deaths
- 1910 – Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and philosopher (b. 1828)
- 1925 – Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (b. 1844)
- 1975 – Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator (b. 1892)
- 2006 – Robert Altman, American film director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1925)