1. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded on November 20, 1620, by a group of English pilgrims who later became known as the Pilgrims. They set sail on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England, and landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after a long and treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

2. On November 20, 1776, the town of Falmouth on Cape Cod was destroyed by British naval forces during the American Revolution. The town was burned to the ground, and over 300 homes and businesses were destroyed. Despite the devastation, the town was eventually rebuilt and became a prominent center of trade and commerce.

3. On November 20, 1789, the first newspaper in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Centinel, was published in Boston. It was founded by Moses Thomas, who had previously worked for the Boston Gazette. The newspaper covered news and events from all over the state, including political and social issues.

4. On November 20, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in the Confederate states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." The proclamation was a significant milestone in the fight against slavery and paved the way for the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

5. On November 20, 1979, a group of Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took 52 American hostages. The crisis lasted for 444 days and became a major international incident. The hostages were eventually released in January 1981, after the signing of the Algiers Accords. The embassy building in Tehran has remained unoccupied ever since.