November 17 Through History

Explanation: The Suez Canal, 193 km long, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Its construction, led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, took ten years and revolutionized global maritime trade by sparing ships from having to sail around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.

Explanation: Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse as early as 1964 at the Stanford Research Institute labs, but the patent wasn't granted until 1970. The original mouse was made of wood with two metal wheels. Ironically, Engelbart received virtually no royalties because the patent expired before personal computers became widespread.

Explanation: Romain Gary, already a Goncourt winner in 1956 for 'Les Racines du ciel', used the pseudonym 'Émile Ajar' for 'La Vie devant soi'. The rules forbidding anyone from winning the prize twice, his identity was only revealed after his death in 1980. He remains to this day the only double winner of the Prix Goncourt.

Explanation: The Yellow Vests movement began on November 17, 2018, bringing together 287,710 protesters according to the Interior Ministry. Born from a petition against the rise in fuel taxes, it quickly expanded to many social and political demands, becoming one of the most significant social crises of the 5th Republic.

Explanation: Elizabeth I succeeded her half-sister Mary I, who died that same day. Her 45-year reign is considered a golden age for England, marked by the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and a flourishing of the arts with Shakespeare. She died in 1603 without a direct heir, bringing the Tudor dynasty to an end.

Explanation: Martin Scorsese, born on November 17, 1942 in New York, is considered one of the greatest American filmmakers. His films like 'Taxi Driver', 'Raging Bull' and 'Goodfellas' have marked the history of cinema. He won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2007 for 'The Departed', after many unsuccessful nominations.

Explanation: Tenzin Gyatso, recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, was enthroned on November 17, 1950, just as China had invaded Tibet. He went into exile in India in 1959 after a Chinese crackdown, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for Tibetan autonomy.

Explanation: Auguste Rodin, who died at 77 on November 17, 1917, created masterpieces like 'The Thinker', 'The Kiss', and 'The Burghers of Calais'. Despite his immense talent, his work 'The Age of Bronze' was initially accused of being a cast from life, it was so realistic. The Musée Rodin in Paris preserves the bulk of his work today.

Explanation: The Republican calendar, introduced during the French Revolution, replaced saints' names with plants, animals, or tools. The tuberous vetchling (earth-nut pea) was an edible plant whose tubers were eaten as a vegetable. This calendar was abolished by Napoleon I on January 1, 1806.

Explanation: George Weah, 1995 Ballon d'Or winner and the only African to have won that award, had been elected president of Liberia in 2017. His 2023 defeat to former vice-president Joseph Boakai highlights the difficulty of governing one of the world's poorest countries, despite his enormous popularity linked to his sporting past.