360This week in history
1 November to 7 November: one moment for each day, in 60 words. Handy for lessons, assemblies and social posts.
- 1 November 1755
The great Lisbon earthquake
On 1 November 1755, a powerful earthquake struck Lisbon, followed by a tsunami and fires that destroyed much of the Portuguese capital. The city was rebuilt with wide streets and buildings designed to withstand earthquakes, an early example of modern urban planning and earthquake engineering.
- 2 November 1936
The BBC starts the world's first regular high-definition TV service
On 2 November 1936, the BBC began a regular television service from Alexandra Palace in London, described as the world's first regular 'high-definition' service. Only a few hundred homes had sets. The service paused during the Second World War and resumed in 1946.
- 3 November 1957
Laika becomes the first animal to orbit the Earth
On 3 November 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying a dog named Laika. She was the first animal to orbit the Earth. The mission showed that a living creature could survive launch and weightlessness, helping prepare the way for human spaceflight four years later.
- 4 November 1879
The cash register is patented
On 4 November 1879, James Ritty, a saloon owner in Dayton, Ohio, received a US patent for a mechanical cash register, nicknamed the 'Incorruptible Cashier'. It recorded every sale. The business was later bought and grew into the National Cash Register Company, which spread cash registers to shops worldwide.
- 5 November 2013
India launches its first mission to Mars
On 5 November 2013, India launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, also called Mangalyaan. It reached Mars orbit in September 2014, making India the first Asian nation to reach Mars and the first country to succeed on its first attempt. The mission cost less than many Hollywood films.
- 6 November 1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected US president
On 6 November 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He led the country through its civil war and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, shortly before Lincoln's assassination that April.
- 7 November 1867
Marie Curie is born
Marie Skłodowska Curie was born in Warsaw on 7 November 1867. She moved to Paris to study science and, with her husband Pierre, discovered polonium and radium. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.