From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 142 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins.
- 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation.
- 106 – The south-western part of Dacia (modern Romania) becomes a Roman province: Roman Dacia.
- 355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.
- 1332 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor – Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol.
- 1675 – Franco-Dutch War: forces of the Holy Roman Empire defeat the French in the Battle of Konzer Brücke.
- 1786 – Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.
- 1804 – Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria.
- 1812 – Peninsular War: French troops engage British-Portuguese forces in the Battle of Majadahonda.
- 1858 – The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren.
- 1898 – Spanish-American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
- 1918 – World War I: the Battle of Amiens ends.
- 1919 – The constitution of the Weimar Republic is adopted.
- 1920 – The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence.
- 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island.
- 1942 – Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a frequency hopping, spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi.
- 1947 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan, gives a speech to the Constituent Assembly, the contents and meaning of which remain contentious today.
- 1952 – Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan.
- 1959 – Sheremetyevo International Airport, the second-largest airport in Russia, opens.
- 1960 – Chad declares independence.
- 1961 – The former Portuguese territories in India of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are merged to create the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
- 1965 – Race riots (the Watts riots) begin in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: the last United States ground combat unit leaves South Vietnam.
- 1975 – East Timor: Governor Mário Lemos Pires of Portuguese Timor abandons the capital Dili, following a coup by the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) and the outbreak of civil war between UDT and Fretilin.
- 1982 – A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo to Honolulu, killing one teenager and injuring 15 passengers.
- 1984 – "We begin bombing in five minutes" - United States President Ronald Reagan, while running for re-election, jokes while preparing to make his weekly Saturday address on National Public Radio.
- 1999 – The Salt Lake City Tornado tears through the downtown district of the city, killing one.
- 2003 – NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
- 2003 – Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
[edit] Births
- 1467 – Mary of York, English princess (d. 1482)
- 1648 – Jeremiah Shepard, American minister (d. 1720)
- 1667 – Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, Italian princess (d. 1743)
- 1673 – Richard Mead, English physician (d. 1754)
- 1718 – Sir Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-born English colonial governor (d. 1791)
- 1722 – Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d. 1797)
- 1748 – Joseph Schuster, German composer (d. 1812)
- 1778 – Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, Prussian nationalist (d. 1852)
- 1794 – James Barton Longacre, American engraver (d. 1869)
- 1807 – David Rice Atchison, American politician (d. 1886)
- 1808 – William W. Chapman, American politician (d. 1892)
- 1825 – István Türr, Hungarian soldier and engineer (d. 1908)
- 1833 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and soldier (d. 1899)
- 1833 – Kido Takayoshi, Japanese politician (d. 1877)
- 1836 – Warren Brown, American politician (d. 1919)
- 1837 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French statesman (d. 1894)
- 1855 – John Hodges, Australian cricketer (d. 1933)
- 1858 – Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1930)
- 1860 – Ottó Bláthy, Hungarian electrical engineer (d. 1939)
- 1870 – Tom Richardson, English cricketer (d. 1912)
- 1872 – Kijūrō Shidehara, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1951)
- 1877 – Adolph M. Christianson, American judge (d. 1954)
- 1878 – Oliver W F Lodge, English poet and writer (d. 1955)
- 1891 – Stancho Belkovski, Bulgarian architect and lecturer (d. 1962)
- 1892 – Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist (d. 1962)
- 1892 – Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet (d. 1978)
- 1892 – Archie Wiles, West Indian cricketer (d. 1957)
- 1897 – Louise Bogan, American poet (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Enid Blyton, English author (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (d. 1994)
- 1902 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (d. 1986)
- 1902 – Lloyd Nolan, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian biochemist (d. 2002)
- 1907 – Ted a'Beckett, Australian cricketer (d. 1989)
- 1908 – Torgny Torgnysson Segerstedt, Swedish philosopher (d. 1999)
- 1909 – Yuji Koseki, Japanese composer (d. 1989)
- 1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
- 1912 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2004)
- 1913 – Angus Wilson, English novelist (d. 1991)
- 1913 – Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (d. 1976)
- 1913 – Bob Scheffing, American baseball player and manager (d. 1985)
- 1914 – José Silva, American parapsychologist (d. 1999)
- 1916 – Johnny Claes, Belgian race car driver (d. 1956)
- 1919 – Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)
- 1919 – Luis Olmo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1920 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Alex Haley, American historian (d. 1992)
- 1923 – Stan Chambers, American TV reporter
- 1925 – Mike Douglas, American entertainer (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-born English chemist, Nobel Laureate
- 1926 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-born English socialite
- 1927 – Raymond Leppard, English conductor
- 1927 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director d. 2007
- 1928 – Arlene Dahl, American actress
- 1930 – Paul Soles, Canadian actor
- 1932 – Fernando Arrabal, Spanish writer
- 1932 – Peter Eisenman, American architect
- 1932 – Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, Canadian attorney (d. 2003)
- 1932 – John Gorrie, English director
- 1933 – Jerry Falwell, American televangelist (d. 2007)
- 1933 – Jerzy Grotowski, Polish theatre director (d. 1999)
- 1936 – Andre Dubus, American writer (d. 1999)
- 1938 – Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist
- 1939 – Ronnie Dawson, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1940 – Lennie Pond, American race car driver
- 1942 – Mike Hugg, English musician and vocalist (Manfred Mann)
- 1943 – Abigail Folger, American heiress (d. 1969)
- 1943 – Stefania Toczyska, Polish singer
- 1943 – Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani politician
- 1944 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor
- 1944 – Frederick W. Smith, American entrepreneur
- 1946 – Marilyn vos Savant, American newspaper columnist
- 1946 – John Conlee, American singer
- 1947 – Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek politician
- 1948 – Jan Palach, Czechoslovakian activist (d. 1969)
- 1949 – Eric Carmen, American singer and guitarist (Raspberries)
- 1949 – Tim Hutchinson, American politician
- 1950 – Erik Brann, American guitarist (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Gennidy Nikonov, Russian engineer (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Steve Wozniak, American computer engineer
- 1951 – Vincent Bilodeau, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1952 – Manfred Krüger, German footballer
- 1952 – Bob Mothersbaugh AKA Bob 1, American guitarist (Devo)
- 1953 – Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler
- 1954 – Joe Jackson, English singer
- 1954 – Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer
- 1954 – Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricketer
- 1954 – Mottu Vara Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer
- 1955 – Sylvia Hermon, English politician
- 1955 – Marc Bureau, Canadian politician
- 1956 – Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician
- 1957 – Ian Stuart Donaldson, English singer (Skrewdriver) (d. 1993)
- 1958 – Jah Wobble, English bassist
- 1959 – Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (Soda Stereo)
- 1959 – Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese investor
- 1959 – László Szlávics, Jr., Hungarian sculptor and medalist
- 1961 – David Brooks, American journalist and author
- 1961 – Craig Ehlo, American basketball player
- 1961 – Jukka Tapanimäki, Finnish game programmer (d. 2000)
- 1962 – Uvais Karnain, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1962 – Ennis Whatley, American basketball player
- 1963 – Hiromi Makihara, Japanese baseball player
- 1964 – Jim Lee, Korean comic book artist
- 1964 – Nikki Randall, American pornographic actress
- 1964 – Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., American actor
- 1965 – Marc Bergevin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Shinji Mikami, Japanese video game designer
- 1965 – Viola Davis, American actress
- 1965 – Embeth Davidtz, American actress
- 1965 – Duane Martin, American actor
- 1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer
- 1967 – Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer
- 1967 – Eric Maleson, Brazilian bobsledder
- 1967 – Collin Chou, Taiwanese actor
- 1967 – Joe Rogan, American TV host and comedian
- 1968 – Noordin Mohammad Top, Malaysian terrorist (d. 2009)
- 1969 – Ashley Jensen, English actress
- 1970 – Teresa Pavlinek, Canadian actress
- 1971 – Tommy Mooney, English football player
- 1971 – Alejandra Barros, Mexican actress
- 1971 – Julie Clarke, American model
- 1972 – Jonathon Prandi, American model
- 1973 – Nigel Harman, Engish actor
- 1973 – Carolyn Murphy, American model
- 1974 – Audrey Mestre, French diver (d. 2002)
- 1974 – Hadiqa Kiyani, Pakistani singer
- 1974 – Marie-France Dubreuil, Canadian figure skater
- 1974 – Kira Kener, American pornographic actress
- 1974 – Anju Jain, Indian cricketer
- 1975 – Davey von Bohlen, American musician (The Promise Ring, Maritime)
- 1976 – Iván Córdoba, Colombian footballer
- 1976 – Bubba Crosby, American baseball player
- 1976 – Will Friedle, American actor
- 1976 – Ben Gibbard, American musician (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service)
- 1976 – Erick Lindgren, American poker player
- 1976 – Ľubomír Višňovský, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1977 – Dênio, Brazilian footballer
- 1977 – Gemma Hayes, Irish singer
- 1978 – Spyros Gogolos, Greek footballer
- 1978 – Amber Mariano, American reality TV personality
- 1978 – Jermain Taylor, American boxer
- 1979 – Aggeliki Daliani, Greek actress
- 1980 – Daniel Lloyd, English cyclist
- 1980 – Lee Suggs, American football player
- 1981 – Fiona Sit, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1981 – Sandi Thom, Scottish singer
- 1982 – Alan Halsall, English actor
- 1983 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian actor
- 1984 – Melky Cabrera, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 – Lucas di Grassi, Brazilian racing driver
- 1984 – Katie Rees, American beauty pageant contestant
- 1985 – J-Boog, American singer (B2K)
- 1985 – Asher Roth, American rapper
- 1986 – Kaori Fukuhara, Japanese voice actress
- 1986 – Richard Keogh, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Pablo Sandoval, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1987 – Dany N'Guessan, French footballer
- 1987 – Drew Storen, American baseball player
- 1993 – Alyson Stoner, American actress and model
[edit] Deaths
- 353 – Magnentius, Roman usurper (b. 303)
- 449 – Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople
- 897 – Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona
- 1204 – King Guttorm of Norway (b. 1199)
- 1259 – Möngke Khan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. c. 1208)
- 1456 – János Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary (b. 1387)
- 1464 – Nicholas of Cusa, German philosopher and mathematician (b. 1401)
- 1494 – Hans Memling, Flemish painter (b. c. 1430)
- 1519 – Johann Tetzel, German opponent of the Reformation (b. 1465)
- 1563 – Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer (b. c. 1500)
- 1578 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b. 1502)
- 1596 – Hamnet Shakespeare, English son of William Shakespeare (b. 1585)
- 1614 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (b. 1552)
- 1656 – Ottavio Piccolomini, Austrian-Italian field marshal (b. 1599)
- 1774 – Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer (b. 1722)
- 1813 – Henry James Pye, English poet (b. 1745)
- 1851 – Lorenz Oken, German naturalist (b. 1779)
- 1854 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist (b. 1798)
- 1868 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian composer (b. 1815)
- 1886 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet (b. 1843)
- 1890 – John Henry Newman, English cardinal (b. 1801)
- 1892 – Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician (b. 1813)
- 1903 – Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Puerto Rican educator and nationalist (b. 1839)
- 1908 – Khudiram Bose, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1889)
- 1919 – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist (b. 1835)
- 1936 – Blas Infante, Spanish writer and politician (b. 1885)
- 1937 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and designer (b. 1862)
- 1939 – Jean Bugatti, Italian automobile designer (b. 1909)
- 1953 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver (b. 1892)
- 1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-born American mobster (b. 1886)
- 1956 – Jackson Pollock, American artist (b. 1912)
- 1961 – Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian writer, actor and director (b. 1910)
- 1965 – Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer (b. 1897)
- 1969 – Miriam Licette, English operatic soprano (b. 1885)
- 1972 – Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1899)
- 1974 – Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan musicologist and composer (b. 1887)
- 1974 – Jan Tschichold, German typographer (b. 1902)
- 1975 – Rachel Katznelson-Shazar, President of Israel (b. 1885)
- 1980 – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1910)
- 1982 – Tom Drake, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1984 – Alfred A. Knopf, Sr., American publisher (b. 1892)
- 1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–born German chess player (b. 1916)
- 1986 – János Drapál, Hungarian motorcycle road racer (b. 1948)
- 1988 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)
- 1991 – J. D. McDuffie, American race car driver (b. 1938)
- 1994 – Peter Cushing, English actor (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Phil Harris, American singer and comedian (b. 1904)
- 1996 – Tassos Isaac, Greek Cypriot activist (b. 1972)
- 1996 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech conductor and composer (b. 1914)
- 1996 – Mel Taylor, American drummer (The Ventures) (b. 1933)
- 1996 – Baba Vanga, Macedonian-born Bulgarian mystic (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Percy Stallard, English cyclist (b. 1909)
- 2002 – Galen Rowell, American photographer and mountain climber (b. 1940)
- 2003 – Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach (b. 1937)
- 2005 – James Booth, English actor (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American Kennedy Family member (b. 1921)
- 2010 – Markus Liebherr, German-born Swiss football club owner (b. 1948)
- 2011 – Jani Lane, American musician and songwriter (b. 1964)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
