Sadat Visits Israel: First Arab Leader Crosses the Line
Sadat's own cabinet thought he'd lost his mind. In November 1977, the Egyptian president flew into Ben Gurion Airport — enemy territory, technically still at war — and shook hands with Menachem Begin in front of the cameras. He then addressed the Knesset directly, the first Arab leader ever to do so. Egypt's neighbors called it betrayal. But the speech cracked open what decades of conflict had sealed shut. Eighteen months later, the Camp David Accords. And Sadat? Assassinated by his own soldiers in 1981 — for choosing peace.
November 19, 1977
49 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on November 19
Pope Urban VIII consecrated the current Saint Peter’s Basilica, finalizing a construction project that spanned over a century and involved masters like Michelan…
Ricimer didn't want the throne. He wanted something better — the man sitting on it. When Libius Severus was declared Western Roman Emperor in 461, Ricimer, the …
Arab forces shattered the Sassanian army at the Battle of Qadisiya, ending Persian control over Mesopotamia. This victory dismantled the Sassanian defense of th…
Urban II didn't command kings. He commanded crowds. At Clermont, he preached to thousands gathered in an open field — the church couldn't hold them — and report…
Christopher Columbus went ashore on an island he named San Juan Bautista during his second voyage, claiming it for the Spanish Crown. The island, later renamed …
A prisoner known only by a number died in the Bastille on November 19, 1703, after decades of imprisonment during which his face was always concealed behind a m…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.