November 20: Major Historical Events & Birthdays
Today in History, From the Bill of Rights to the Nuremberg Trials
Nov 17, 2008
Throughout recent history, 11/20 has become the anniversary of some notable victories for peace and justice -- from the first state ratification of the U.S. Bill of Rights in 1789, to the end of the perilous Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. November 20 is also the wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, as well as the birthday of politicians Robert F. Kennedy and Joe Biden.
Here are some of the major events from on this day: November 20 in history.
November 20, 1789: New Jersey Ratifies the Bill of Rights
New Jersey was the first of the original 13 states to ratify the Bill of Rights -- or the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee Americans liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and right to trial by jury. These amendments went into effect over two years later, when Virginia became the last state to ratify the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791.
November 20, 1910: The Start of the Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution began in 1910, when a young politician named Francisco I. Madero declared his intent to run for president against long time dictator Porfirio Díaz. Afraid that the populist would win, Díaz imprisoned Madero, who escaped and wrote a well-publicized letter to the nation that called the Díaz regime illegal. Madero successfully called for a popular revolt against Díaz to begin on November 20.
November 20, 1945: Beginning of the Nuremberg War Crime Trials
In 1945 and 1946, Nazi war criminals -- some of whom had been architects of the Holocaust -- were tried at the the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg,Germany by the International Military Tribunal. November 20, 1945 marked the start of the Trial of the Major War Criminals, which led to the death sentences of infamous Nazis such as Wilhelm Frick, author of Germany's anti-Semitic "race laws."
November 20, 1947: Princess Elizabeth Marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten
After the horrors of World War II, a royal wedding was a matter of pride in England. On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth -- the heir to the throne -- married Philip Mountbatten, who was originally a royal prince of both Greece and Denmark. The marriage was not arranged, and the couple was deeply in love. In February 1952, Princess Elizabeth because Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband prince Philip became her consort, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh.
November 20, 1962: End of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Humanity breathed a huge sigh of relief on November 20, 1962, when Nikita Khrushchev and the Soviet Union agreed to remove the nuclear missiles they had positioned on Cuba, about 200 miles from the shores of the United States. In response, President John F. Kennedy lifted the quarantine against Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis is generally regarded as the low point of the Cold War because of how close the conflict came to ending in nuclear warfare.
Birthdays on November 20
- 1761: Pope Pious VIII
- 1900: Chester Gould, author of the Dick Tracy comic strip
- 1917: Robert Carlyle Byrd, Democratic senator from West Virginia and the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate
- 1925: Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. attorney general and U.S. Senator, and brother of President John F. Kennedy.
- 1928: Aleksey Batalov, Russian actor
- 1939: Dick Smothers, comedian and half of the "Smothers Brothers"
- 1942: Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from Delaware and Vice President Elect
- 1948: John Bolton, former U.S. Secretary to the United Nations
- 1956: Bo Derek, actress
- 1963: Ming-Na Wen, actress
- 1975: Dierks Bentley, country music artist
- 1976: Dominique Dawes, gymnast
- 1977: Josh Turner, country music artist
- 1999: Princess Sofia of Bulgaria
