Hundreds of thousands fill the streets of Prague as communist rule begins to buckle, while a rival’s challenge in Westminster brings the Thatcher era to an abrupt end. Princess Diana sits down with the BBC for a rare and candid interview, opening up about her troubled marriage. In sport, Jonny Wilkinson seals England’s Rugby World Cup glory with a last-minute drop goal, and in technology, the early rise of Facebook sparks anxieties that strike a familiar note today. Across the decades, this week has marked decisive shifts in politics, culture and public life – moments captured on The Independent’s front pages.
19 November 1987 – Deadly fire at King’s Cross
“Thirty die in Tube inferno” after a fire tore through King’s Cross Tube station, likely sparked by a discarded match beneath a wooden escalator. The tragedy exposes major safety failings and leads to sweeping reforms across London’s transport network.
21 November 1989 – Prague in revolt
Up to 200,000 people flood Prague’s streets as The Independent reports the Communist Party’s “hold on power is crumbling.” The mass protests mark a decisive moment in Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, as citizens demand democracy and the end of one-party rule.
23 November 1990 – Margaret Thatcher resigns
The Independent charts the final hours of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership as she resigns after 11 years in power. Defeated in a leadership challenge and unable to command party unity, her departure marks the abrupt end of her political dominance. In her final cabinet meeting, she reportedly remarked, “It’s a funny old world.”
21 November 1995 – Princess Diana’s Panorama interview
Princess Diana’s Panorama interview becomes front-page news after she speaks openly about the strain of royal life and her troubled marriage. The broadcast draws one of the largest TV audiences in British history and becomes a defining moment for the royal family.
23 November 2003 – England win Rugby World Cup
An extra-time drop goal from Jonny Wilkinson secures England the Rugby World Cup in Sydney, ending Australia’s hopes on home soil. The victory remains England’s first – and only – men’s World Cup title.
19 November 2004 – Afghanistan faces opium crisis
Three years after the fall of the Taliban, the UN warns that Afghanistan has become one of the world’s most unstable states. The country faces a spiralling opium crisis as it produces 87 per cent of the world’s supply, with one in 10 Afghans working in the trade.
23 November 2007 – New fears in Facebook era
As Facebook’s user base explodes, just a few years after launch, concerns grow over the ease of identity theft online. Users are cautioned about how much personal information they share, reflecting early anxieties about social-media privacy.
17 November 2010 – Human cost of Irish property crash
“Ghost estates” and abandoned developments reveal the human cost of Ireland’s property collapse. The crisis foreshadows the EU-IMF bailout agreed weeks later, making Ireland the second eurozone country to seek emergency rescue funds.
19 November 2012 – Gaza counts its dead
Seventy-three people are killed in the bloodiest day of Israeli airstrikes as fears of a ground invasion intensify. Hospitals run short of vital supplies as The Independent documents the civilian toll of the escalating violence.
19 November 2015 – Battle of Saint-Denis
Police storm an apartment in Saint-Denis after tracking the terror cell behind the 13 November Paris attacks, which killed 132. Two suspects are killed and eight arrested in the all-day siege, during which 5,000 rounds are fired. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader, is believed to be among the dead.
