Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling Opens to the Public
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling opened to the public on November 1, 1512, after four years of work for Pope Julius II.
All Saints' Channel
Magellan's ships entered the strait that now carries his name on November 1, 1520, and reached the Pacific four weeks later.
Shakespeare's Othello Receives Its First Performance
Shakespeare's Othello premiered at Whitehall Palace in London on November 1, 1604, before King James I.
The Great Lisbon Earthquake Devastates Portugal
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake killed tens of thousands on November 1 and reshaped how Europe thought about disaster and faith.
Alfred Wegener Is Born
Alfred Wegener, born on November 1, 1880, argued that the continents had once been joined and had drifted apart.
Yuan Shikai Becomes Prime Minister of the Qing Court
On November 1, 1911, the Qing court named Yuan Shikai prime minister and called on him to hold the army together.
The Battle of Coronel
On November 1, 1914, a German squadron under Maximilian von Spee destroyed a British force off Coronel on the coast of Chile.
Mussolini Names the Berlin-Rome Axis
On November 1, 1936, Mussolini called the Italy-Germany alliance an "axis," naming the era's central pact.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences Is Founded
On November 1, 1949, the Chinese Academy of Sciences was founded in Beijing with Guo Moruo as its first president.
The United States Tests the First Hydrogen Bomb
On November 1, 1952, the U.S. detonated Ivy Mike, the first hydrogen bomb, at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific.
The Maastricht Treaty Brings the European Union Into Being
On November 1, 1993, the Maastricht Treaty took effect and created the European Union.