Cleveland History

Great Blizzard Paralyzes Cleveland (November 9–11, 1913): A powerful storm buried Cleveland under 22.2 inches of snow, halting streetcars, disrupting communications and delaying food and fuel deliveries. National Weather Service records confirm the storm’s dates and snowfall total.

Cleveland Recording Company Incorporated (November 14, 1946): Radio announcer Frederick C. Wolf incorporated Cleveland Recording Company, the city’s first professional recording studio. The studio later produced recordings by artists including the Outsiders, the James Gang and Grand Funk Railroad.

Free Stamp Dedicated (November 15, 1991): Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s monumental Free Stamp sculpture was dedicated in Willard Park beside Cleveland City Hall. The oversized rubber stamp, displayed on its side with “FREE” visible, became a distinctive downtown landmark.

World History

Fall of the Berlin Wall (November 9, 1989): Border crossings between East and West Berlin opened after an announcement about new travel rules brought crowds to the checkpoints. The opening marked a turning point in the Cold War and helped pave the way for German reunification.

Kristallnacht (November 9–10, 1938): Nazi leaders organized violent attacks against Jewish communities throughout Germany and its annexed territories. Attackers burned synagogues, vandalized homes and businesses, and assaulted and killed Jewish people, marking a major escalation of Nazi persecution.

World War I Armistice (November 11, 1918): An armistice between Germany and the Allies took effect at 11 a.m., ending fighting on the Western Front. The anniversary became the basis for Armistice Day and Remembrance Day observances.

First Landing on a Comet (November 12, 2014): The European Space Agency’s Philae lander, carried by the Rosetta spacecraft, touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. It was the first landing on a comet in the history of space exploration.

UNESCO Adopts Cultural Property Convention (November 14, 1970): UNESCO adopted an international convention to combat the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. The agreement established a framework for international cooperation against the trafficking of cultural objects.