November 5

In the early morning hours of November 21, 1980, an electrical ground fault ignited combustibles on the casino floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Flames were relatively localized, but thick, toxic smoke poured through elevator shafts, HVAC ducts and stairwells, racing up into the hotel tower. Eighty-five people died—most from smoke inhalation—and roughly 784 were injured. The disaster exposed critical gaps in hotel fire protection and helped prompt sweeping changes to sprinkler, smoke-control, and life-safety codes across the nation.

In the early minutes of 14 November 2016, a Mw 7.8 earthquake that began near Culverden shook much of New Zealand, triggering cascading ruptures along a tangled network of faults, lifting long stretches of coastline, and isolating the town of Kaikōura. The disaster left two people dead, damaged critical transport links, upended coastal ecosystems and industries, and changed how scientists and planners understand multi‑fault earthquakes and coastal risk.

On the night of November 26, 2008, ten gunmen trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba landed by sea and carried out coordinated shootings and sieges at multiple high-profile locations in Mumbai — including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, the Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House — leaving 164 dead and 308 wounded and triggering days of firefights, hostage rescues and international investigations.