by Stephanie Petrovick
November 16
In 2001, the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, opened in theaters across the United States. This movie based on the book about a young wizard would become very popular, causing movies to be made about all seven books.
November 17
In 1777, Congress submitted the Articles of Confederation to the different states for ratification, which would not happen for another four years due to land debates between Virginia and Maryland. It had taken 16 months for the Articles to be signed by Congress. The Articles focused more on being sovereign states, and five years after being ratified the Articles were overturned in favor of the Constitution we have today.
November 18
In 1883, at exactly noon, the American and Canadian railroads created the first time zones. Four central time zones were put into effect on the railroads in order to avoid confusion that occurred because of the many local time zones. This use of time zones shows how much power the railroad companies of the time possessed, that they could get two countries full of people to follow these four time zones.
November 19
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of his most famous speeches – the Gettysburg address.The speech was only 272 words, but still managed to make the public gathered at the dedication of the new Gettysburg military cemetery and in the rest of the country remember why the Union had to fight and win the Civil War.
November 20
In 1820 an American whaling vessel named the Essex, from Nantucket, Massachusetts, was attacked by an 80-ton enraged bull sperm whale. The whale rammed into the side of the ship while it was 2,000 miles from the coast of South America hunting sperm whales, and the ship was capsized. Three of the men were stranded on a Pacific island, and 20 other men were able to escape in three open boats. Five men survived the journey to the South American coast.