November 15
2017
2017 West Attica floods (Mandra floods)
In mid-November 2017 a sudden, intense storm dumped extraordinary rainfall over western Attica, Greece. Between November 15 and 16, flash floods and muddy debris flows swept down steep hillsides into the municipality of Mandra and neighbouring communities (including Nea Peramos, Magoula and parts of the Megara plain), killing 24 people, damaging hundreds of homes and prompting national scrutiny of river maintenance and land‑use practices. Read more
2007
Cyclone Sidr
In mid‑November 2007 a powerful tropical cyclone named Sidr swept across the central Bay of Bengal and struck southwestern Bangladesh on November 15, 2007. Packing extreme winds and a destructive storm surge that inundated low‑lying coastal communities and the Sundarbans, Sidr killed thousands, displaced millions, and tested the country’s improved — but still fragile — systems for warning, evacuation, and recovery. Read more
2003
2003 Istanbul bombings
In two coordinated waves on November 15 and November 20, 2003, vehicle bombs struck central Istanbul — first outside the Neve Shalom and Bet Israel synagogues in the Şişli district, then five days later near the British Consulate and a bank in central neighborhoods — killing about 57 people and injuring roughly 700. The attacks devastated places of worship and diplomatic and financial sites, set off a long criminal investigation, and reshaped security and communal life in Turkey. Read more
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1987
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crash
On the morning of November 15, 1987, a Boeing 737-200 attempting to depart Stapleton International Airport in Denver during a winter snowstorm failed to climb after rotation, rolled right, struck the runway and broke apart. Of the 82 people aboard, 28 died and 54 survived. The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the accident to wing contamination from snow and ice and to crew control issues, with airline training and pairing practices cited as contributing factors; the crash prompted changes in deicing, holdover procedures, and pilot training.
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1922
1922 Guayaquil general strike
In mid-November 1922 a coordinated labor stoppage in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s main Pacific port, escalated into days of street clashes when police and military units opened fire on demonstrators. The confrontations that peaked on November 15, 1922 left the city shaken, with disputed casualty totals, arrested leaders, and a hardening of labor–state conflict that helped set the stage for the 1925 “Julian Revolution.”
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