November 17, 1558 – Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England at the age of 25 (reigning until her death at age 69).
November 17, 1869 – The Suez Canal was formally opened after more than ten years of construction.
November 19, 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address dedicating 17 acres of the Gettysburg battlefield as a National Cemetery.
November 20, 1886 – The first Sherlock Holmes' story, “A Study in Scarlet”, is accepted by publisher Ward and Lock. Struggling doctor Arthur Conan Doyle is paid 25 pounds (equivalent to $31.75) for rights to the story.