NOVEMBER 13, 1927 - The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic linking New Jersey to New York City under the Hudson River. The tunnel is named after Clifford Holland the Chief Engineer on the project, who died before it was completed. The tunnel consists of two tubes each carrying two lanes of traffic. Both tubes are situated in the bedrock beneath the river, with the lowest point of the roadway approximately 93 feet below the surface of the water. Approximately 35,000,000 vehicles pass through the Holland Tunnel each year.

NOVEMBER 14, 1911 - Eugene Ely became the first pilot to take off from a ship. Captain Washington Chambers approached Ely while investigating possible uses for aviation within the Navy. The experiment took place from a temporary platform erected over the bow of the light cruiser USS Birmingham. Ely's biplane plunged downward as soon as it cleared the 83-foot platform runway, and the aircraft's wheels dipped into the water before rising. Ely's goggles were covered with spray, and he decided to land on a nearby beach rather than circling the harbor and landing at the Norfolk Navy Yard as planned. Two months later Ely also became the first pilot to land a plane on a ship when he landed aboard the USS Pennsylvania while it was anchored in San Francisco Bay.

NOVEMBER 18, 1978 - Over 900 members of the Peoples Temple cult died in a massive murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. The pseudo-religious organization was established by the charismatic Jim Jones as a means of subtly spreading the doctrines of communism. As the group grew in size, it also became more restrictive on the freedoms of its members, requiring large donations and discouraging contact with family members. After several members defected in 1973 the media became critical of the group. In 1974 Jones established an agricultural commune in the South American nation of Guyana and began relocating members there. In November 1978 U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan traveled to Jonestown to investigate claims of abuse and captivity. On November 17, Congressman Ryan was murdered while helping several members who wanted to escape from Jonestown, the only Congressman killed in the line of duty in U.S. history. The next day Jones ordered his remaining followers to drink cyanide-laced, grape Flavor Aid, and those who refused were forced. The saying "Don't drink the Kool-Aid" stems from this event, though it incorrectly states the brand of soft drink used. Jones and a close aid actually died of self-inflicted gun shot wounds. Two men sneaked away during the massacre and survived to describe it.