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THE DAY IN HISTORY · NOVEMBER 11

November 11 in history

What happened on November 11: 4 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1918, 1940, 1975 and 1983, each linked to the map that shows it.

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns of the First World War fall silent.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE WWI MAP →

— Raid on Taranto

11 Nov 1940 — 21 British biplanes cripple Italy’s battle fleet in harbor. Japan’s navy takes notes.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE WW2 MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

— Independence of Angola

11 Nov 1975 — As the Portuguese flag comes down, three liberation movements fight for the capital. Cuban troops and South African columns are already inside the country. Freedom and civil war arrive the same day.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

— Able Archer 83

2–11 Nov 1983 — A NATO nuclear command exercise is so realistic that Soviet intelligence, primed to expect a first strike, puts forces on alert. Neither side grasps how close this was until the archives open.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE COLD WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

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