November 07

After four expeditions across the Atlantic, Christopher Columbus arrived back in Spain on November 7, 1504, ending his final voyage to the New World. His return followed months of hardship in Jamaica, where he and his crew were stranded due to ship repairs and local hostilities. Despite his personal challenges, Columbus brought back detailed accounts of Caribbean islands and new insights into indigenous cultures. His reports continued to fuel European interest in Atlantic exploration and colonization. Though he died believing he had found a western route to Asia, his journeys profoundly impacted global geography and trade.

On November 7, 1893, a lone anarchist threw two time-delay bombs into the audience at Barcelona's Liceu opera house. The explosive devices detonated amid a weekend opera performance, causing panic and mass casualties. Twenty people were killed and dozens more injured in one of Spain’s deadliest acts of political violence. The attack shocked European society, prompting debates over security, anarchy, and public assembly. The Liceu would rebuild, but the tragedy left a lasting mark on Spain’s cultural and political landscape.

In a shocking incident of domestic violence, an explosive device went off in the Senate side of the United States Capitol Building. The blast occurred in an unoccupied cloakroom near the Senate floor. Although no one was hurt, the explosion caused over $250,000 in property damage. Authorities launched a full investigation but no individual was ever officially charged. The bombing underscored security vulnerabilities at the heart of American democracy. It prompted reviews of protective measures around the Capitol complex. The incident remains one of the few bombings of the Capitol in U.S. history.