This Day In History: November 14th to November 19th
November 14, 1851 - Moby Dick is Published
Moby Dick, a novel by Herman Melville about a vengeful captain seeking to hunt down and kill the whale that permanently wounded him, is nowadays considered an American Classic. However, upon initial publication in 1851, the book sold poorly, only earning Melville $1,260 within his lifetime. Despite these initial shortcomings, the book eventually rose to prominence, receiving a film in 1956.
November 15, 1532 -
Conquistador Francisco Pizarro Meets With Inca Emperor Atahualpa For the First Time
Upon landing in the New World, the growing Spanish Empire encountered two native states - the Aztec Empire in Central America, and the Inca Empire in the Andes. The Aztecs were quickly defeated by 1521, allowing the Spanish the opportunity to further expand in the Americas. Soon, they encountered the Inca Empire, leading to Francisco Pizarro’s Meeting with the Inca Emperor Atahualpa. Not long afterwards, the Spanish would launch an invasion of the Inca, where their superior technology and Old World diseases led to the Empire’s collapse.
November 16, 1974 -
The Arecibo Message is Broadcast From Puerto Rico
The Arecibo Message was sent via radio towards the globular star cluster M13, 25,000 light years away. The message contained basic information about humanity and the Earth, and was sent in the form of 1,679 binary digits. Unfortunately, the message will not reach the star cluster, as it was aimed at where the cluster was rather than where it will be in the future.
(The Arecibo Message)
https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/details/arecibo-message
November 17, 1869 - Opening of the Suez Canal
For centuries, the idea of creating a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas (bypassing the trip a boat would have to make around Africa) was acted upon numerous times. However, all groups that tried to create a canal, from the Ancient Egyptians to the Ottoman Turks, were unsuccessful in their efforts. However, it wasn’t until the British gained control over Egypt that the canal was created, over a time span of ten years, requiring all the modern technology and resources of the time period.
November 18, 1940 -
Adolf Hitler and the Italian Foreign Minister meet to discuss Italy’s failed invasion of Greece
The name Winston Churchill gave to Italy during WWII (“The Soft Underbelly”) showcased itself during Italy’s planned invasion of Greece. In short, Benito Mussolini, expecting his growing “Empire” to easily steamroll Greece underestimated his opponent, leading to Italy sending in unprepared, under-supplied troops against the Greeks, who in turn pushed the Italians back to occupied Albania. In response, Italy’s ally Germany realized the need to bail the Italians out, expending valuable resources in wars against Greece and against Greece’s Northern neighbor, Yugoslavia. This meeting between Hitler and the Italian Foreign Minister was mainly to confirm Italy’s failure.
November 19, 1885 - Bulgaria Defeats Serbia in the Battle of Slivnitsa
The Serbo-Bulgarian War started when Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia announced they would unify under Bulgaria, a move that the neighboring Serbia feared would weaken its position in the Balkans. As such, Serbia promptly attacked Bulgaria, and was decisively defeated over a span of just fourteen days. The major victory in the war came at the Battle of Slivnitsa, in which the Serb armies were forced to retreat back into Serbia. Had the major power of Austria-Hungary not intervened, Bulgaria likely would have invaded - instead, it simply unified with Eastern Rumelia as originally planned.
