18 November 293

Cyclone Numa, a rare "medicane", made landfall in Greece to become the worst weather event that the country had experienced since 1977.

Two Palestinian men attacked the praying congregants of a synagogue in Jerusalem with axes, knives, and a gun, resulting in eight deaths, including the attackers themselves.

With its ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made the state the first in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.

Texas A&M University's Aggie Bonfire collapsed (aftermath pictured), killing 12 people and injuring 27 others, and causing the university to officially declare a hiatus on the 90-year-old annual event.

The current flag of Uzbekistan was adopted, making the country the first newly independent republic in Central Asia to choose a new flag.

Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.

An underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St Pancras tube station in London.

Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan.

Solomon Islands ratified the adoption of a new flag (pictured).

At the Polish embassy in Moscow, a phrase in an address by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was translated into English as "We will bury you", prompting Western envoys to leave the room.

American suffragist Susan B. Anthony (pictured) was arrested and later fined $100 for having voted in the presidential election two weeks earlier.

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published, becoming the first great success of American author Mark Twain.

Napoleonic Wars: In the Bay of Bengal, a French frigate squadron captured three ships carrying recruits for the armies of the East India Company.

The Siege of Godes­berg, the first major siege of the Cologne War, began.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, was ex­com­mu­ni­cated by Pope Innocent III after Otto commanded him to annul the Concordat of Worms.

The Utah monolith, built sometime in 2016 is discovered by state biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

NASA launches the MAVEN probe to Mars.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria becomes the 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules 4–3 in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gives the state legislature 180 days to change the law making Massachusetts the first state in the United States to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

At Texas A&M University, the Aggie Bonfire collapses killing 12 students and injuring 27 others.

A fire occurs on a train traveling through the Channel Tunnel from France to England causing several injuries and damaging approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) of tunnel.

In the United States, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is approved by the House of Representatives.

In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution, expanding voting rights and ending white minority rule.