November 20 is the birthday of Polish-born mathematician BENOIT MANDELBROT (1924-2010). He referred to himself as a 'fractalist' and is recognized for his contribution to the field of fractal geometry, which included coining the word 'fractal,' as well as developing a theory of 'roughness and self-similarity' in nature.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On November 20, 1805, FIDELIO, the only opera composed by Beethoven, had its premiere in Vienna.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On November 20, 1805, FIDELIO, the only opera composed by Beethoven, had its premiere in Vienna.

"Certainly, Fidelio is not an opera in the sense we are used to, nor is Beethoven a musician for the theater, or a dramaturgist. He is quite a bit more, a whole musician, and beyond that, a saint and a visionary. That which disturbs us is not a material effect, nor the fact of the 'imprisonment'; any film could create the same effect. No, it is the music, it is Beethoven himself. It is this 'nostalgia of liberty' he feels, or better, makes us feel; this is what moves us to tears. His Fidelio has more of the Mass than of the Opera to it; the sentiments it expresses come from the sphere of the sacred, and preach a 'religion of humanity' which we never found so beautiful or necessary as we do today, after all we have lived through. Herein lies the singular power of this unique opera.... Independent of any historical consideration ... the flaming message of Fidelio touches deeply.

We realize that for us Europeans, as for all men, this music will always represent an appeal to our conscience." (Wilhelm Furtwängler)

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On November 20, 1953, "Piltdown Man" was revealed to be a hoax.

"The Piltdown hoax is prominent for two reasons: the attention it generated around the subject of human evolution, and the length of time, 41 years, that elapsed from its alleged initial discovery to its definitive exposure as a composite forgery." (Wikipedia)

November 20 is the birthday of French photographer and filmmaker JEAN PAINLEVÉ (1902-1989).

Advocating the credo 'science is fiction,' Painlevé managed to scandalize both the scientific and the cinematographic world with a cinema designed to entertain as well as edify. He portrayed sea horses, vampire bats, skeleton shrimps, and fanworms as endowed with human traits – the erotic, the comical, and the savage. Painlevé single-handedly established a unique kind of cinema, the "scientific-poetic cinema."

November 20 is the birthday of American astronomer and cosmologist EDWIN HUBBLE (1889-1953). He played a crucial role in establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology and is regarded as one of the most important astronomers of all time ... Hubble's name is most widely recognized for the Hubble Space Telescope, which was named in his honor, with a model prominently displayed in his hometown of Marshfield, Missouri.

November 20 is the birthday of the great Russian ballerina MAYA PLISETSKAYA (1925-2015) She danced during the Soviet era at the Bolshoi Theatre under the directorships of Leonid Lavrovsky, then of Yury Grigorovich; later she moved into direct confrontation with him. In 1960, when famed Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova retired, Plisetskaya became prima ballerina assoluta of the company." (Wikipedia)