Famous November Birthdays

There was once a period in which birth dates were rarely recorded. Instead, the only date found in history was on their baptism record. Although many baptisms occurred within a week of birth, the actual dates remain a complete mystery.

Because of the lack of records, today we can only celebrate the births of recent persons--this is generally only those born within the past 200 years.

November has a long history, dating back to the original Roman Calendar. Many historical events and holidays now take place during the month.

The History and Common Holidays in November

The word 'November' comes from the Latin 'novem' meaning 'nine'. Before the Gregorian Calendar (the one in current use) and Julian Calendar, the Romans used a calendar believed to have been based on lunar cycles. The calendar was invented by Romulus, founder of Rome around 753 BC. At the time of the calendars creation, November was the ninth month of the year. Soon, January and February were added to the Julian Calendar, pushing the length of a year to twelve months.

Today, many holidays are celebrated in November:

• All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day), a Christian holy day, is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween. Halloween literally means "All Hallows Eve."
• In the Roman Catholic calendar, November 2 is All Souls Day.
• November 5, is Guy Fawkes Night, the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot.
• In Indonesia, November 10 is National Heroes Day.
• November 11, is St. Martin's feast day. It is also Remembrance Day to commemorate the beginning of World War I. It is known as Veterans' Day in the United States.
• November 14 is Children's Day in India. This is to celebrate the birth date of their first Indian Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
• On November 19, 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico.
• Revolution Day is celebrated in Mexico on November 20.
• Thanksgiving is observed in the United States and Puerto Rico on the fourth Thursday in November.
• For Western Christians, Advent generally starts on the Sunday during the last week of November.
• November 30 is a national holiday in Scotland known as St. Andrews Day.

November is also Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, National Novel Writing Month, Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, American Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, and the month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory in the Roman Catholic Church.

November 1:

Larry Flynt (1942)

Jenny McCarthy (1972)

Aishwarya Rai (1973)

LaTivia Roberson (1981)

November 2:

Daniel Boone (1734)

Marie Antoinette (1755)

James K. Polk (1842)

Warren G. Harding (1865)

Burt Lancaster (1913)

Pat Buchanan (1938)

Nelly (1974)

November 3:

Charles Bronson (1921)

Michael Dukakis (1933)

November 4:

Will Rogers (1879)

Walter Cronkite (1916)

Art Carney (1918)

Laura Bush (1946)

Kathy Griffin (1960)

Sean "Diddy" Combs (1970)

November 5:

Roy Rogers (1911)

Art Garfunkel (1941)

Sam Shephard (1943)

Bryan Adams (1959)

November 6:

James Naismith (1861)

Walter Johnson (1887)

Maria Shriver (1955)

Ethan Hawke (1970)

Pat Tillman (1976)

November 7:

Leon Trotsky (1879)

Albert Camus (1913)

Billy Graham (1918)

Joan Sutherland (1926)

Christopher Knight (1957)

November 8:

Margaret Mitchell (1900)

Leif Garrett (1961)

Parker Posey (1968)

Tara Reid (1975)

November 9:

Spiro Agnew (1918)

Sandra Deuton (1961)

November 10:

Martin Luther (1483)

Claude Rains (1889)

Tim Rice (1944)

Jack Scalia (1951)

November 11:

George Patton (1885)

Alger Hiss (1904)

Jonathan Winters (1925)

Leonardo DiCaprio (1974)

November 12:

Auguste Rodin (1840)

Al Michaels (1944)

Neil Young (1945)

David Schwimmer (1966)

Sammy Sosa (1968)

November 13:

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850)

Louis Brandeis (1856)

Whoopi Goldberg (1955)

November 14:

Robert Fulton (1765)

Claude Monet (1840)

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889)

Joseph McCarthy (1908)

King Hussein of Jordon (1935)

Prince Charles (1948)

Condolezza Rice (1954)

November 15:

Georgia O'Keeffe (1887)

Ed Asner (1929)

November 16:

Burgess Meredith (1908)

Dwight Gooden (1964)

Shigeru Miyamoto (1952)

November 17:

Grace Abbott (1878)

Lee Strasberg (1901)

Rock Hudson (1925)

Martin Scorsese (1942)

Danny DeVito (1944)

Tom Seaver (1944)

November 18:

William Gerbert (1911)

Sinbad (1956)

Owen Wilson (1968)

November 19:

James Garfield (1831)

Gandhi (1917)

Ted Turner (1938)

Calvin Klein (1942)

Kerri Strugg (1977)

November 20:

Alistair Cooke (1908)

Bobby Kennedy (1925)

Richard Smoothers, Sr. (1939)

November 21:

Voltaire (1694)

William Beaumont (1785)

Rene Magritte (1898)

James Caldwell (1920)

Goldie Hawn (1945)

Ken Griffey, Jr. (1969)

November 22:

Abigail Adams (1744)

Charles de Gaulle (1890)

Rodney Dangerfield (1921)

Terry Gilliam (1940)

Billie Jean King (1943)

Jamie Lee Curtis (1958)

Scarlett Johansson (1984)

November 23:

Franklin Pierce (1804)

Billy the Kid (1859)

Harpo Marx (1888)

Steve Harvey (1956)

Miley Cyrus (1992)

November 24:

Zachary Taylor (1784)

Bat Masterson (1853)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864)

November 25:

Carry Nation (1846)

Joe DiMaggio (1914)

John Larroquette (1947)

Amy Grant (1960)

John F. Kennedy, Jr. (1960)

Christina Applegat (1971)

Barbara and Jenna Bush (1981)

November 26:

Eric Sevareid (1912)

Charles Schulz (1922)

Tina Turner (1938)

Rich Little (1938)

November 27:

Bruce Lee (1940)

Jimi Hendrix (1942)

Caroline Kennedy (1957)

Jaleel White (1976)

November 28:

Paul Sheffer (1949)

Jon Stewart (1965)

Anna Nicole Smith (1967)

November 29:

Louisa May Alcott (1832)

C.S. Lewis (1898)

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (1908)

Garry Shandling (1949)

Howie Mandel (1955)

Tom Sizemore (1961)

November 30:

Jonathan Swift (1667)

Mark Twain (1835)

Winston Churchill (1874)

Dick Clark (1930)

Billy Idol (1955)

Bo Jackson (1962)

Ben Stiller (1965)

Clay Aiken (1978)

Fun facts about the month

• In most years, November starts on the same day of the week as February and March when it doesn't.
• The birth stone of November is topaz.
• The flower of November is the chrysanthemum.
• Novem is Latin for 'nine'.
• In the United States, elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
• Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is observed with large sales from major retailers.
• Cyber Monday is the Monday following Thanksgiving in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is observed with large sales from online retailers.