Who’s Who
This Calcutta-based nun was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work in India, and she was canonized in 2016.
Mother Teresa
Clocks go this way at the end of daylight saving time in November, granting a precious extra hour of sleep.
back
In the United States and Canada, we turn our clocks back an hour when we change from daylight saving time to standard time on November 2.
The century during which the first U.S. transcontinental railroad was finished
19th century
In 1869, the inauguration of the railroad led to the country’s westward expansion.
It’s not only a bog fruit associated with the holidays but also a shade of red.
cranberry
It comes from the German word kraneberrie, which means “crane berry.” It earned this name because the flower of the cranberry plant looks like a crane’s head and neck.
Citrus fruit with a bright yellow rind, pink interior, pulp, and seeds
grapefruit
Grapefruit can interfere with some prescription drugs. If you’re unsure about interactions, check with your doctor or pharmacist.
This 1960s-era pop artist known for his Marilyn Monroe painting is responsible for the phrase “15 minutes of fame.”
Andy Warhol
He said, “In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes.” Little did he know his thought would work its way into the lexicon in the form of a pithy, memorable phrase.
These U.S. national political “contests” are held in November.
(federal) elections
State and local elections are sometimes held in conjunction with federal elections, but there are no federal statutes or constitutional requirements that mandate them to be held at the same time.
The first American self-made businesswoman to become a millionaire
Sarah Breedlove (or Madam C. J. Walker)
Madam C. J. Walker was her business name and the name of her line of products.
Chartreuse is a hue of this secondary color.
green
It derives its name from the herbal liqueur Chartreuse, first created by the Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps.
Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions
parts of speech
At a minimum, most sentences have a noun and a verb. Some sentences are one-word sentences comprised of only an interjection, such as Yes! No! and Ouch!
He’s the man who went by this double-B nickname and provided endless moments of levity for everyone except Iraqis during Operation Desert Storm.
Baghdad Bob
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf served as information minister under Saddam Hussein while providing comic relief around the world. He is also known as Comical Ali.
November is the only month this classic British playwright never mentioned in his plays or sonnets.
William Shakespeare
No one knows if it was an oversight or intentional.
First woman to win a Nobel Prize; did so for her work in the field of radioactivity and then again for her work in chemistry
Marie Curie
In 1903, the Nobel committee awarded the prize to Curie, her husband Pierre, and physicist Becquerel, “in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint research on the radiation phenomena discovered by [Becquerel].”
A shade of this color is associated with Tiffany & Co.
blue
Tiffany has used the distinctive hue, also known as robin egg blue, since 1845. Tiffany Blue received a trademark in 1998, and it is now Pantone standard color “1837 Blue,” in commemoration of the year Tiffany was founded.
Individual stars that form a shape within a defined boundary
constellation
NASA recognizes 88 constellations, 48 of which were named by the ancient Greeks. Each constellation is often named for its brightest star, and most have a backstory.
This award-winning broadcaster once cohosted The Today Show (now Today), and her husband created Doonesbury.
Jane Pauley
She now hosts Sunday Morning on CBS. Garry Trudeau is her husband.
November is known as this type of meteorological month.
transitional
It’s a transition between fall and winter.
In many areas of the United States, October brings many warm days. With November’s arrival, you can count on cold snaps. December is traditionally cold in most of the country.
Origin country of the first woman in space
Soviet Union (not Russia)
In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova orbited Earth for three days.
This shade of pink is also the name of a plant with exquisite, delicate petals.
fuchsia
It’s a very bright purplish-pink color used in home furnishings as well as in fashion. It dates to the 16th century, when the fuchsia plant was discovered in Central America.
Has a needle, bobbin winder, hand wheel, and foot pedal
sewing machine
Even though sewing machines today are computerized and can do much more than their predecessors, their essential parts remain the same.
This Swedish band released eight hit albums from 1973 to 1981. You may know their hit single “Dancing Queen.”
ABBA
In 2021, after a 40-year absence, they returned to the studio and released their new album Voyage.
November is derived from the Latin novem, which is this number.
nine
November is now the 11th month of the year, but it wasn’t always.
Under the original Roman calendar, there was no January or February, which made November the ninth month.
Country in which Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first human heart transplant
South Africa
The heart transplant took place in Cape Town. While the patient survived only 18 days, Dr. Barnard’s success laid the foundation for research and heart transplants to continue.
This French word means “unbleached” and lends its name to a pale, neutral color.
ecru
The light beige shade is most often found in linen, cotton, and silk fabric.
Type of boat with a mast, jib, stern, and bow
sailboat
Every sailboat has a mainsail and a jib sail. Some sailboats have more specialty sails as well. The mast is a vertical pole that holds the sails. The stern is the back of the sailboat, and the bow is the front.