Today in RI History
Explore significant events from Rhode Island's rich history.
November
November 1
William Coddington, Newport founder, dies
William Coddington, founder of Portsmouth and Newport, died.
November 2
Edward Bannister born, future Providence art leader
Edward Bannister, later a major Providence artist and co-founder of the Providence Art Club, was born.
November 3
Rhode Island voters strike "Providence Plantations" from the state's name
By a 53% to 47% vote, Rhode Islanders approved a ballot measure removing "and Providence Plantations" from the state's official name, following renewed debate over the phrase's associations with slavery.
November 4
Gina Raimondo elected Rhode Island's first woman governor
Gina Raimondo was elected Rhode Island's first woman governor.
November 5
Providence-born entertainer George M. Cohan dies
Providence-born entertainer George M. Cohan died
Thomas Wilson Dorr born in Providence
Thomas Wilson Dorr was born in Providence.
November 6
Rhode Island election sets stage for bloodless revolution
Rhode Island's election set the stage for the 1935 "Bloodless Revolution"
Nelson Aldrich born in Foster Rhode Island
Nelson Aldrich was born in Foster.
November 7
Rhode Island holds first direct Senate election
Rhode Island held its first direct U.S. Senate election after the 17th Amendment.
November 8
Brown University arrests twenty students during hall sit-in
Brown University arrested 20 students during a University Hall sit-in demanding action on divestment and Gaza.
November 9
Roger Williams establishes Providence founding Rhode Island
Rhode Island's founding era continued after Roger Williams established Providence.
November 10
Revolutionary debates shape Rhode Island black soldier policy
Revolutionary enlistment policy debates over Black soldiers set the background for Rhode Island's later 1st Rhode Island Regiment decision.
November 11
Rhode Island celebrates armistice begins memorializing war dead
Rhode Island celebrated the World War I armistice and began memorializing its war dead.
November 12
U.S. Senator Jack Reed born in Providence
John F. "Jack" Reed, who would become Rhode Island's longtime U.S. senator, was born in Providence on November 12, 1949.
November 13
Heritage loan crisis accelerates toward banking collapse
The Heritage Loan & Investment crisis moved toward the RISDIC banking collapse that would erupt on New Year's Day 1991.
November 14
Electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos born Pawtucket
Electronic-music pioneer Wendy Carlos was born in Pawtucket.
November 15
Rhode Island fortifies coastal defenses against British Navy
Rhode Island prepared coastal defenses against British naval operations.
November 16
Textile mills fuel Rhode Island labor movement growth
Rhode Island's industrial labor movement grew amid textile-mill expansion.
November 17
British threats mount against Narragansett Bay, Newport
British threats to Narragansett Bay mounted before the occupation of Newport.
November 18
Rhode Island closes Heritage Loan & Investment Company
Rhode Island officials temporarily closed Heritage Loan & Investment, a key prelude to the RISDIC crisis.
November 19
Providence Place Mall enters major receivership management shift
Providence Place mall entered a major receivership-management shift, a sign of downtown retail distress.
November 20
Providence-born Burrill heads Senate Judiciary Committee
Providence-born Sen. James Burrill Jr. became chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
November 21
Rhode Island veterans enter post-Revolutionary War era
Rhode Island veterans entered the post-Revolutionary era after the war's formal close.
November 22
Future Senator Claiborne Pell is born today
Claiborne Pell was born.
November 23
Chafee Foster Care Independence Act passes Congress
The John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act passed after the Rhode Island senator's death.
November 24
Judge Frank Caprio born in Providence
Judge Frank Caprio, who became a global internet sensation through viral "Caught in Providence" videos, was born in Providence on November 24, 1936. Caprio served as Providence's chief municipal judge for decades.
November 25
British troops evacuate New York, ending Revolutionary War
Rhode Island marked the Revolutionary War's end as British troops evacuated New York.
November 26
Rhode Island launches legal sports betting at Twin River
Rhode Island became the first state in New England to offer legal sports betting on November 26, 2018, when Twin River Casino in Lincoln took the state's first legal wagers. This made Rhode Island the 8th state with legal sports betting.
November 27
The Portland Gale batters Rhode Island coast
The historic Portland Gale nor'easter battered the Rhode Island coast on November 27, 1898, with Block Island recording wind gusts of 98 mph. The storm sank the steamship Portland with all 192 people aboard.
November 28
John Chafee elected Senate Republican Conference chair
John Chafee was elected chair of the Senate Republican Conference.
November 29
Rhode Island leaders organize colonial naval resistance
Rhode Island leaders pressed the colonies toward organized naval resistance.
November 30
Hopkinton records preserve post-Revolutionary community history
Hopkinton-area local records preserved post-Revolutionary community history in western Rhode Island.