New York City Marathon

November 1: More than 30,000 runners will line up for the 40th running of the New York City marathon. This year's male and female open division champion will each take home $130,000 in prize money unless they are a repeat winner. Any past champion who wins this year's 26.2-mile race will take home $200,000.

Election Day

November 3: In what could be seen as a bellwether on the agenda of President Obama and congressional Democrats, Virginia and New Jersey voters head to the polls to elect a new governor. A Republican challenger in New Jersey leads incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine and Republican Bob McDonnell leads in Virginia.

Anchors Aweigh

November 7: The U.S. Navy will officially commission an amphibious transport ship named the USS New York in honor of the victims of the 2001 terror attacks in New York City. Construction of the vessel included 100 tons of scrap steel salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

International Day of Prayer

November 8: Churches around the world will focus on prayer and support for an estimated 100 million Christians persecuted for their faith. Since it began in 1996, the nondenominational event has become one of the largest global prayer events and has heightened awareness. Co-sponsor Open Doors (opendoorsusa.org) and others this year are focusing on providing children's Bibles to persecuted children.

Berlin Wall

November 9: Germans will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall during an all-night party outside the famous Brandenburg Gate. In 1987 President Ronald Reagan challenged Communist leaders to tear down the wall. Two years later, the dream became a reality that united East and West Germany, as the gate opened for the first time in 30 years. President Barack Obama has declined to attend the celebration, sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instead to join Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, and other luminaries who presided over the fall of communism.

Manson birthday

November 12: Famed killer Charles Manson turns 75 today in California's Corcoran State Prison 40 years after masterminding the famous Tate-LaBianca murders of 1969. In September, Susan Atkins died in prison serving a life sentence in connection with the murders, while Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, another Manson acolyte, in August was released on parole from a Texas prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975.