November 4

Joan of Arc successfully liberates the town of Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier during the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war.

Joan of Arc's campaign to liberate Saint-Pierre-le-Moutier came during the later, less celebrated stretch of her military career, following her famous victories at Orleans earlier that year. The successful siege demonstrated her continued battlefield leadership, though she would be captured by Burgundian forces just months later, ultimately leading to her trial and execution.

Christopher Columbus reaches the Leeward Islands during his second voyage across the Atlantic.

During his second voyage, which involved a much larger fleet of seventeen ships aimed at establishing permanent settlements, Columbus explored the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, naming several islands after saints. This expedition marked a shift from exploration toward colonization, as Spain began establishing lasting footholds throughout the region.

Spanish troops capture and sack the city of Antwerp during the Eighty Years' War.

Spanish troops under the Duke of Alba's forces sacked Antwerp during an event later known as the Spanish Fury, killing thousands of residents and destroying much commercial property in what was then one of Europe's wealthiest trading cities. The brutal episode further inflamed Dutch resistance against Spanish rule during the ongoing Eighty Years' War for independence.

Mary, later Queen Mary II of England, marries William of Orange, a union that would later see them jointly rule Britain.

The marriage was arranged for primarily political reasons, uniting the Protestant William of Orange with Mary, the Catholic King James II's daughter, in hopes of stabilizing relations between England and the Netherlands. The pairing would prove historically decisive just over a decade later, when William and Mary jointly assumed the English throne following the Glorious Revolution.

A Native American confederacy inflicts a major defeat on U.S. forces at the Battle of the Wabash during the Northwest Indian War.

The Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair's Defeat, remains the most decisive victory ever achieved by Native American forces against the United States military, with a confederation led by Miami chief Little Turtle inflicting devastating casualties on General Arthur St. Clair's poorly prepared army. The defeat prompted a major reorganization of U.S. military policy toward Native nations.

Scottish physician James Young Simpson discovers the anesthetic properties of chloroform.

Simpson, already a leading figure in obstetric medicine, discovered chloroform's anesthetic effects through self-experimentation with colleagues in his home, testing various compounds until they found one that induced unconsciousness. His subsequent advocacy helped popularize chloroform anesthesia in childbirth, despite initial religious objections, and famously received royal endorsement when Queen Victoria used it during delivery.

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovers the entrance to King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

After years of searching the Valley of the Kings with limited results and dwindling patron support, Carter's team uncovered a stone step that led to a sealed doorway bearing royal seals. The subsequent excavation revealed one of the only largely intact royal tombs ever found in Egypt, sparking a worldwide sensation and renewed fascination with ancient Egyptian civilization.

Ronald Reagan is elected the 40th U.S. President, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.

Reagan's decisive victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter reflected widespread public dissatisfaction with the economy, high inflation, and the ongoing Iran hostage crisis. His win marked a significant conservative political shift in American politics, ushering in policies focused on tax cuts, deregulation, and a more assertive foreign policy stance during the final stretch of the Cold War.

Barack Obama is elected the first African-American President of the United States.

Obama's victory over Republican nominee John McCain made him the first African-American president in United States history, a milestone achieved 143 years after the abolition of slavery. His election was seen by many as a watershed moment in the country's ongoing reckoning with its history of racial discrimination and exclusion.

Qantas Flight 32 suffers a mid-air engine failure but lands safely in Singapore, saving all 469 people aboard.

An uncontained engine failure aboard the Airbus A380 shortly after departing Singapore forced the highly experienced flight crew to manage extensive damage to the aircraft's systems and structure. Their successful emergency landing, achieved despite the loss of numerous critical systems, was widely praised as a masterclass in crew coordination and became a case study in aviation safety training.