Historical eventNovember 201820

Essex (whaleship)

The American whaleship Essex sank 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) west of the western coast of South America after it was attacked by a sperm whale, an event which inspired the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (pictured).

Everything on November 20Original source

In context

When
Monday, November 20 1820206 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1820s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1820.

What happened

The American whaleship Essex sank 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) west of the western coast of South America after it was attacked by a sperm whale, an event which inspired the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (pictured).

November 20 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1820Essex (whaleship)
  2. 1994Angola
  3. 1994Lusaka Protocol
  4. 1996Garley Building fire
  5. 1998Taliban
  6. 1998Zarya (ISS module)
  7. 2003November 15
  8. 20032003 Istanbul bombings
  9. 2015Radisson Blu Bamako attack
  10. 2016Jimmie Johnson
  11. 20222022 FIFA World Cup

Also in 1820

  • May 11HMS BeagleHMS Beagle (pictured), the ship that would take Charles Darwin on his voyage, was launched.
  • January 11Great Savannah Fire of 1820A conflagration in Savannah, Georgia, destroyed more than 400 buildings and caused millions of dollars in damages.
  • March 3United States CongressThe U.S. Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, which balanced the admission of Missouri as a slave state with that of Maine as a free…
  • March 6Missouri CompromiseThe Missouri Compromise is signed into law by United States President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as…
  • February 6American Colonization SocietyThe first ship of the American Colonization Society departed from New York for West Africa with 86 African-American emigrants aboard to f…
  • April 8Venus de MiloThe Venus de Milo (pictured), an ancient Greek statue of a woman with its arms missing, was discovered on the island of Milos.
  • February 4Chilean War of IndependenceChilean War of Independence: Chilean forces captured the city of Valdivia.

Everything we record for 1820 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Essex (whaleship)”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/essex-whaleship-1820-november-20, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Essex (whaleship) happen?

November 20 1820 — 206 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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