November 1981

Sunday 01:

Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom.

Friday 13:

The first Friday the 13th event held by motorcyclists in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada.

Monday 16:

Luke and Laura marry on General Hospital; it is the highest-rated hour in daytime television history.

Monday 23:

Iran-Contra scandal: Ronald Reagan signs the top secret National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), giving the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Sunday 29:

Off Santa Catalina Island, 43-year-old actress Natalie Wood drowns during a boating accident.

Monday 30:

Cold War: In Geneva, representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union begin to negotiate intermediate-range nuclear weapon reductions in Europe (the meetings ended inconclusively on December 17).