November 29, 1989 - Forty one years of Communist rule came to an end in Czechoslovakia following a twelve day revolution sparked by the beating of protesters. The Czech parliament voted unanimously to repeal constitutional clauses granting the Communist Party sole power. This brought a wave of reform headed by playwright Vaclav Havel, who later became president in the first free elections since World War II.

November 23, 1890 - Ten year old Princess Wilhelmina became Queen of the Netherlands upon the death of her father William III. Her mother Queen Emma acted as Regent until 1898.

November 22, 1497 - Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama, leading a fleet of four ships, became the first to sail round the Cape of Good Hope, while searching for a sea route to India.

Also, in 1996, Star Trek VIII: First Contact premiered across North America. Roger reviews the movie here.

November 21, 1992 - The Anglican Church of Australia voted to allow women to become priests. The largest of the dioceses voted against the bill, however, it still received the required two-thirds approval.

November 20, 1992 - Fire erupted inside Queen Elizabeth's residence at Windsor Castle causing extensive damage.

November 19, 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address during ceremonies dedicating 17 acres of the Gettysburg Battlefield as a national cemetery. Famed orator Edward Everett of Massachusetts preceded Lincoln and spoke for two hours. Lincoln then delivered his address in under two minutes. Although many in attendance were at first unimpressed, Lincoln's words have come to symbolize the definition of democracy itself.

November 18, 1477 - William Caxton printed the first book in the English language, The Dictes and Sayengis of the Phylosophers.

November 17, 1800 - The U.S. Congress met for the first time in the new capital at Washington, DC President John Adams then became the first occupant of the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House

November 15, 1777 - The Articles of Confederation were adopted by Continental Congress.

November 14, 1666 - The first experimental blood transfusion took place in England, utilizing two dogs.

November 13, 1942 - The five Sullivan Brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, were lost in the sinking of the cruiser USS Juneau by a Japanese torpedo off Guadalcanal during World War II in the Pacific. Following their deaths, the U.S. Navy changed regulations to prohibit close relatives from serving on the same ship.

November 12, 1867 - A major eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy began, lasting several months.

November 12, 1923 - Adolf Hitler was arrested in Germany after the failed Beer Hall Putsch.

November 12, 1942 - During World War II in North Africa, Tobruk was captured by the British Eighth Army under General Bernard Montgomery.

November 1 - All Hallows Day, also known as All Saints Day among Roman Catholics, commemorating those who have no special feast day.

November 1, 1993 - The new European Union came into existence as a result of the Maastricht Treaty.

November 1, 1995 - The first all-race local government elections took place in South Africa, marking the end of the apartheid system.