November 25
2009
2009 Jeddah floods
On November 25, 2009, a rare and intense storm struck Jeddah on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Heavy overnight rains on November 25–26 produced rapid flash floods that overwhelmed the city’s drainage, swept away vehicles and debris, and left an official death toll of 122 people. The catastrophe exposed weaknesses in urban planning and infrastructure and provoked a prolonged public debate over responsibility and reform. Read more
2000
2000 Baku earthquake
On the morning of November 25, 2000, a shallow earthquake offshore in the Caspian Sea rocked Baku and the Absheron Peninsula, toppling chimneys, cracking façades, and sending residents into the streets. The quake killed in the low dozens, injured several hundred, and exposed the fragility of older masonry neighborhoods and the limits of preparedness in a city built on oil and old stone. Read more
1987
Typhoon Nina (PAGASA: Sisang)
In late November 1987 a tropical disturbance east of the northern Philippines grew into Typhoon Nina — locally Sisang — and crossed northern Luzon before re-strengthening in the South China Sea to strike Taiwan’s waters and the southeastern Chinese coast in early December. Over several days the storm brought heavy rain, floods, landslides, and maritime losses that killed and displaced hundreds across the Philippines, Taiwan, and China, and left tens of thousands rebuilding farms, homes, and lives. Read more
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1941
Sinking of HMS Barham (04)
In the pre‑dawn hours of November 25, 1941, the veteran British battleship HMS Barham was torpedoed by German U‑boat U‑331 off the approaches to Alexandria. A spread of torpedoes struck the ship and triggered a catastrophic internal magazine explosion; Barham capsized and sank with heavy loss of life. Rescue efforts recovered hundreds, but roughly 862 men were lost. The Admiralty tightly controlled information about the sinking, and the wreck is treated today as a protected war grave.
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1917
Battle of Ngomano
On 25 November 1917, during the East African Campaign of the First World War, Lieutenant Colonel Paul von Lettow‑Vorbeck’s Schutztruppe crossed the Rovuma (Ruvuma) River into Portuguese East Africa and attacked the poorly supplied Portuguese outpost at Ngomano. The German surprise assault captured weapons, ammunition and supplies that allowed Lettow‑Vorbeck to continue his mobile campaign into 1918.
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