August 11

August 11 in recent years

2024 (Sunday)

2023 (Friday)

2022 (Thursday)

2021 (Wednesday)

2020 (Tuesday)

2019 (Sunday)

2018 (Saturday)

2017 (Friday)

2016 (Thursday)

2015 (Tuesday)

August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 142 days remain until the end of the year.

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.
• 490 – Battle of Adda: The Goths under Theodoric the Great and his ally Alaric II defeat the forces of Odoacer on the Adda River, near Milan.
• 1332 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor: Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol.
• 1473 – The Battle of Otlukbeli: Mehmed the Conqueror of the Ottoman Empire decisively defeats Uzun Hassan of Aq Qoyunlu.
• 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.
• 1813 – In Colombia, Juan del Corral declares the independence of Antioquia.
• 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.
• 1945 – Poles in Kraków engage in a pogrom against Jews in the city, killing one and wounding five.
• 1947 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan, gives a speech to the Constituent Assembly, the contents and meaning of which remain contentious today.
• 1949 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 72 and 73 are adopted on Palestinian question.
• 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.
• 1962 – Vostok 3 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity.
• 1965 – Race riots (the Watts Riots) begin in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California.
• 1968 – The last steam hauled train runs on British Rail
• 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.
• 1979 – Two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s collide over the Ukrainian city of Dniprodzerzhynsk and crash, killing all 178 aboard both airliners.
• 1982 – A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing one passenger and injuring 15 others.
• 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.
• 1995 - 1995 Russell Hill subway accident - The 1995 Russell Hill subway accident was a deadly train crash that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Three people were killed and 30 were taken to hospital with injuries when one train rear-ended another train. The subway line was shut down for five days.
• 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.
• 2006 – The oil tanker M/T Solar 1 sinks off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Islands in the Philippines, causing the country's worst oil spill.
• 2012 – At least 306 people are killed and 3,000 others injured in a pair of earthquakes near Tabriz, Iran.
• 2015 – For the first time in Major League Baseball history, all 15 home teams won their game. Prior to this happening, the record was 12 which was reached over a century ago in 1914.

Births

• 1086 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1125)
• 1467 – Mary of York (d. 1482)
• 1648 – Jeremiah Shepard, American minister (d. 1720)
• 1667 – Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, Italian wife of Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (d. 1743)
• 1673 – Richard Mead, English physician and astrologer (d. 1754)
• 1718 – Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-English general and politician, 22nd Governor of Quebec (d. 1791)
• 1722 – Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d. 1797)
• 1748 – Joseph Schuster, German composer (d. 1812)
• 1778 – Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, Prussian gymnast, educator, and politician (d. 1852)
• 1794 – James B. Longacre, American engraver (d. 1869)
• 1807 – David Rice Atchison, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1886)
• 1808 – William W. Chapman, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
• 1833 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 1899)
• 1833 – Kido Takayoshi, Japanese samurai and politician (d. 1877)
• 1836 – Warren Brown, American historian and politician (d. 1919)
• 1837 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French engineer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (d. 1894)
• 1855 – John Hodges, Australian cricketer (d. 1933)
• 1858 – Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1930)
• 1860 – Ottó Bláthy, Hungarian engineer and chess player (d. 1939)
• 1869 – Hale Holden, American businessman (d. 1940)
• 1870 – Tom Richardson, English cricketer (d. 1912)
• 1874 – Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg (d. 1953)
• 1877 – Adolph M. Christianson, American lawyer and judge (d. 1954)
• 1878 – Oliver W. F. Lodge, English poet and author (d. 1955)
• 1881 – Aleksander Aberg, Estonian wrestler (d. 1920)
• 1884 – Hermann Wlach, Austrian-Swiss actor (d. 1962)
• 1885 – Stephen Butterworth, English physicist and engineer (d. 1958)
• 1891 – Stancho Belkovski, Bulgarian architect and educator (d. 1962)
• 1892 – Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet and linguist (d. 1978)
• 1892 – Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese author (d. 1962)
• 1897 – Enid Blyton, English author, poet, and educator (d. 1968)
• 1897 – Louise Bogan, American poet and critic (d. 1970)
• 1898 – Peter Mohr Dam, Faroese educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Philip Phillips, American archaeologist and scholar (d. 1994)
• 1902 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Lloyd Nolan, American actor (d. 1985)
• 1905 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian-American biochemist and academic (d. 2002)
• 1905 – Ernst Jaakson, Estonian diplomat (d. 1998)
• 1907 – Ted a'Beckett, Australian cricketer and lawyer (d. 1989)
• 1908 – Don Freeman, American author and illustrator (d. 1978)
• 1908 – Torgny T:son Segerstedt, Swedish sociologist and philosopher (d. 1999)
• 1909 – Yūji Koseki, Japanese composer (d. 1989)
• 1909 – Uku Masing, Estonian philosopher and theologian (d. 1985)
• 1910 – Berthe Qvistgaard, Danish actress (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2004)
• 1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer and academic (d. 1954)
• 1912 – Raphael Blau, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1996)
• 1913 – Paul Dupuis, Canadian actor (d. 1976)
• 1913 – Bob Scheffing, American baseball player and manager (d. 1985)
• 1913 – Angus Wilson, English author and academic (d. 1991)
• 1915 – Morris Weiss, American author and illustrator (d. 2014)
• 1916 – Johnny Claes, English-Belgian race car driver and trumpet player (d. 1956)
• 1919 – Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)
• 1919 – Luis Olmo, Puerto Rican baseball player and manager
• 1920 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2002)
• 1921 – Alex Haley, American historian and author (d. 1992)
• 1922 – John "Mule" Miles, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2006)
• 1925 – Arlene Dahl, American actress, businesswoman and writer
• 1926 – Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-English chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1926 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-English lawyer
• 1927 – Raymond Leppard, English harpsichord player and conductor
• 1927 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (d. 2007)
• 1930 – Paul Soles, Canadian actor and producer
• 1932 – Fernando Arrabal, Spanish actor, director, and playwright
• 1932 – Izzy Asper, Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician, founded Canwest (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Geoffrey Cass, English businessman
• 1932 – Peter Eisenman, American architect, designed the City of Culture of Galicia
• 1932 – John Gorrie, English director and screenwriter
• 1933 – Jerry Falwell, American minister and television host (d. 2007)
• 1933 – Jerzy Grotowski, Polish director and producer (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Tamás Vásáry, Hungarian pianist and conductor
• 1934 – Bob Hepple, South African lawyer and academic (d. 2015)
• 1936 – Andre Dubus, American author and educator (d. 1999)
• 1936 – Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1936 – Jonathan Spence, English-American historian and academic
• 1937 – Anna Massey, English actress (d. 2011)
• 1937 – Patrick Joseph McGovern, American businessman, founded International Data Group (d. 2014)
• 1939 – Ronnie Dawson, American singer and guitarist (d. 2003)
• 1940 – Lennie Pond, American race car driver
• 1941 – Alla Kushnir, Russian–Israeli chess player (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Mike Hugg, English drummer and keyboard player (Manfred Mann and The Manfreds)
• 1943 – Jim Kale, Canadian bass player (The Guess Who)
• 1943 – Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani general and politician, 10th President of Pakistan
• 1943 – Denis Payton, English saxophonist (The Dave Clark Five) (d. 2006)
• 1944 – Hans Knudsen, Danish canoe racer
• 1944 – Martin Linton, Swedish-English journalist and politician
• 1944 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor and director
• 1944 – Frederick W. Smith, American businessman, founded FedEx
• 1946 – John Conlee, American singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Marilyn vos Savant, American journalist and author
• 1947 – Theo de Jong, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
• 1947 – Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek journalist and politician
• 1948 – Don Boyd, Scottish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1948 – Jan Palach, Czech activist (d. 1969)
• 1949 – Eric Carmen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Raspberries)
• 1949 – Tim Hutchinson, American lawyer and politician
• 1950 – Elya Baskin, Latvian-American actor
• 1950 – Erik Brann, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)
• 1950 – Gennadiy Nikonov, Russian engineer, designed the AN-94 rifle (d. 2003)
• 1950 – Steve Wozniak, American computer scientist and programmer, co-founded Apple Inc.
• 1951 – Vincent Bilodeau, Canadian actor
• 1952 – Reid Blackburn, American photographer (d. 1980)
• 1952 – Bob Mothersbaugh, American singer, guitarist, and producer (Devo)
• 1953 – Hulk Hogan, American wrestler and actor
• 1953 – Wijda Mazereeuw, Dutch swimmer
• 1953 – Cory Quirino, Filipino television host and author
• 1954 – Vance Heafner, American golfer and coach (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Joe Jackson, English singer-songwriter
• 1954 – M. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer and coach
• 1954 – Tarmo Rüütli, Estonian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1954 – Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricketer and umpire
• 1955 – Marc Bureau, Canadian politician, 16th Mayor of Gatineau
• 1955 – Sylvia Hermon, Northern Irish academic and politician
• 1956 – Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician and academic
• 1957 – Ian Stuart Donaldson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Skrewdriver) (d. 1993)
• 1957 – Richie Ramone, American drummer and songwriter (Ramones)
• 1958 – Jah Wobble, English singer-songwriter and bass player (Public Image Ltd and The Damage Manual)
• 1959 – Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Soda Stereo) (d. 2014)
• 1959 – Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese businessman
• 1959 – Taraki Sivaram, Sri Lankan journalist and author (d. 2005)
• 1959 – Richard Scudamore, English businessman
• 1959 – László Szlávics, Jr., Hungarian sculptor
• 1961 – David Brooks, American journalist and author
• 1961 – Craig Ehlo, American basketball player and coach
• 1961 – Sunil Shetty, Indian actor and producer
• 1961 – Jukka Tapanimäki, Finnish game programmer (d. 2000)
• 1962 – Brian Azzarello, American author
• 1962 – Charles Cecil, English video game designer and co-founded Revolution Software
• 1962 – John Micklethwait, English journalist and author
• 1962 – Rob Minkoff, American director and producer
• 1963 – Hiromi Makihara, Japanese baseball player
• 1964 – Jim Lee, South Korean-American author and illustrator
• 1964 – Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Nikki Randall, American porn actress
• 1965 – Marc Bergevin, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1965 – Embeth Davidtz, American actress
• 1965 – Viola Davis, American actress
• 1965 – Duane Martin, American actor and producer
• 1965 – Shinji Mikami, Japanese video game designer, created Resident Evil
• 1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer and coach
• 1966 – Juan María Solare, Argentinian pianist and composer
• 1967 – Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Héroes del Silencio)
• 1967 – Collin Chou, Taiwanese actor and martial artist
• 1967 – Joe Rogan, American comedian, actor, and television host
• 1967 – Petter Wettre, Norwegian saxophonist and composer
• 1968 – Anna Gunn, American actress
• 1968 – Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
• 1968 – Charlie Sexton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Arc Angels)
• 1968 – Noordin Mohammad Top, Malaysian terrorist (d. 2009)
• 1969 – Ashley Jensen, Scottish actress
• 1969 – Toomas Kivisild, Estonian geneticist and academic
• 1970 – Dirk Hannemann, German footballer and manager
• 1970 – Ali Shaheed Muhammad, American rapper and producer (A Tribe Called Quest, The Ummah, and Lucy Pearl)
• 1970 – Teresa Pavlinek, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Alejandra Barros, Mexican actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Julie Clarke, American model and actress
• 1971 – Tommy Mooney, English footballer
• 1972 – Jonathon Prandi, American model and actor
• 1973 – Nigel Harman, English actor
• 1973 – Carolyn Murphy, American model and actress
• 1974 – Marie-France Dubreuil, Canadian figure skater
• 1974 – Anju Jain, Indian cricketer and coach
• 1974 – Kira Kener, American porn actress
• 1974 – Chris Messina, American actor and producer
• 1974 – Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., American singer
• 1974 – Audrey Mestre, French biologist and diver (d. 2002)
• 1975 – Chris Cummings, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Kishou Taniyama, Japanese voice actor and singer (Granrodeo)
• 1975 – Davey von Bohlen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Maritime, and Vermont)
• 1976 – Iván Córdoba, Colombian footballer and manager
• 1976 – Bubba Crosby, American baseball player
• 1976 – Will Friedle, American actor and screenwriter
• 1976 – Ben Gibbard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and ¡All-Time Quarterback!)
• 1976 – Jhong Hilario, Filipino actor and dancer
• 1976 – Tõnis Kalde, Estonian footballer
• 1976 – Erick Lindgren, American poker player
• 1976 – Ľubomír Višňovský, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1977 – Gemma Hayes, Irish singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Dênio Martins, Brazilian footballer
• 1978 – Spyros Gogolos, Greek footballer
• 1978 – Hannes Kaasik, Estonian footballer and referee
• 1978 – Jermain Taylor, American boxer
• 1979 – Walter Ayoví, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1980 – Justin Jedlica, American model and businessman
• 1980 – Daniel Lloyd, English cyclist and sportscaster
• 1980 – Lee Suggs, American football player
• 1981 – Daniel Poohl, Swedish journalist
• 1981 – Fiona Sit, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1981 – Sandi Thom, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1982 – Alan Halsall, English actor
• 1982 – Wilko Risser, Namibian footballer
• 1983 – Pavel 183, Russian painter (d. 2013)
• 1983 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian actor
• 1983 – Luke Lewis, Australian rugby player
• 1984 – Melky Cabrera, Dominican baseball player
• 1984 – Lucas di Grassi, Brazilian race car driver
• 1984 – Kaire Palmaru, Estonian footballer
• 1984 – Katie Rees, American model, Miss Nevada USA 2007
• 1985 – J-Boog, American rapper, producer, and actor (B2K)
• 1985 – Jacqueline Fernandez, Bahraini-Sri Lankan model and actress, Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2006
• 1985 – Asher Roth, American rapper
• 1986 – Mokhtar Benmoussa, Algerian footballer
• 1986 – Kaori Fukuhara, Japanese voice actress
• 1986 – Richard Keogh, English-Irish footballer
• 1986 – Pablo Sandoval, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1987 – Alyssa Alano, Filipino actress and singer (Viva Hot Babes)
• 1987 – Shouta Aoi, Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actor
• 1987 – Maris Mägi, Estonian sprinter
• 1987 – Dany N'Guessan, French footballer
• 1987 – Drew Storen, American baseball player
• 1988 – Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Filipino basketball player
• 1988 – Patty Mills, Australian basketball player
• 1988 – Mustafa Pektemek, Turkish footballer
• 1989 – Gui Gui, Taiwanese singer and actress (Hey Girl)
• 1989 – Junior Heffernan, Irish cyclist and triathlete (d. 2013)
• 1989 – Sebastian Huke, German footballer
• 1990 – Lenka Juríková, Slovak tennis player
• 1991 – Cristian Tello, Spanish footballer
• 1993 – Gita Gutawa, Indonesian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1993 – Sean McGinty, English-Irish footballer
• 1993 – Alyson Stoner, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1994 – Rand Saad, Iraqi archer
• 1994 – Storm Sanders, Australian tennis player

Deaths

• 223 – Jia Xu, Chinese politician (b. 147)
• 353 – Magnentius, Roman usurper (b. 303)
• 449 – Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople
• 1204 – Guttorm of Norway (b. 1199)
• 1259 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (b. 1208)
• 1456 – John Hunyadi, Hungarian general and politician (b. 1387)
• 1464 – Nicholas of Cusa, German cardinal and mystic (b. 1401)
• 1494 – Hans Memling, German-Belgian painter (b. 1430)
• 1519 – Johann Tetzel, German preacher (b. 1465)
• 1556 – John Bell, English bishop
• 1563 – Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer and educator (b. 1500)
• 1578 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician and academic (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)
• 1725 – Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy (b. 1723)
• 1774 – Charles-François Tiphaigne de la Roche, French physician and author (b. 1722)
• 1813 – Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (b. 1745)
• 1851 – Lorenz Oken, German botanist, biologist, and ornithologist (b. 1779)
• 1854 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1798)
• 1868 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1815)
• 1886 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (b. 1843)
• 1890 – John Henry Newman, English cardinal and theologian (b. 1801)
• 1892 – Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician and academic (b. 1813)
• 1903 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican sociologist, philosopher, and lawyer (b. 1839)
• 1908 – Khudiram Bose, Indian activist (b. 1889)
• 1919 – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Carnegie Steel Company and Carnegie Hall (b. 1835)
• 1921 – Mary Sumner, English philanthropist, founded the Mothers' Union (b. 1828)
• 1936 – Blas Infante, Spanish historian and politician (b. 1885)
• 1937 – Edith Wharton, American gardener and author (b. 1862)
• 1939 – Jean Bugatti, German-Italian engineer (b. 1909)
• 1939 – Siegfried Flesch, Austrian fencer (b. 1872)
• 1953 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1892)
• 1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mob boss (b. 1886)
• 1956 – Jackson Pollock, American painter (b. 1912)
• 1961 – Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian-American author, playwright, actor, and director (b. 1910)
• 1963 – Otto Wahle, Austrian-American swimmer and coach (b. 1879)
• 1965 – Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer and educator (b. 1897)
• 1969 – Miriam Licette, English soprano and educator (b. 1885)
• 1972 – Max Theiler, South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
• 1974 – Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan conductor and composer (b. 1887)
• 1975 – Rachel Katznelson-Shazar, Belarusian wife of Zalman Shazar (b. 1885)
• 1979 – J. G. Farrell, English author (b. 1935)
• 1980 – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1910)
• 1982 – Tom Drake, American actor and singer (b. 1918)
• 1984 – Alfred A. Knopf, Sr., American publisher, founded Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (b. 1892)
• 1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–American chemist and chess player (b. 1916)
• 1986 – János Drapál, Hungarian motorcycle racer (b. 1948)
• 1988 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)
• 1989 – John Meillon, Australian actor (b. 1934)
• 1991 – J. D. McDuffie, American race car driver (b. 1938)
• 1994 – Peter Cushing, English actor (b. 1913)
• 1995 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1904)
• 1996 – Tassos Isaac, Cypriot activist (b. 1972)
• 1996 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech conductor and composer (b. 1914)
• 1996 – Ambrosio Padilla, Filipino basketball player and politician (b. 1910)
• 1996 – Mel Taylor, American drummer (The Ventures) (b. 1933)
• 1996 – Baba Vanga, Bulgarian mystic (b. 1911)
• 2000 – Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer and academic (b. 1916)
• 2001 – Percy Stallard, English cyclist and coach (b. 1909)
• 2002 – Galen Rowell, American photographer and mountaineer (b. 1940)
• 2003 – Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Herb Brooks, American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1937)
• 2004 – K. Arulanandan, Ceylon-American engineer and academic (b. 1925)
• 2005 – James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (b. 1920)
• 2008 – George Furth, American actor and playwright (b. 1932)
• 2009 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American activist, founded the Special Olympics (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Aykut Oray, Turkish actor (b. 1942)
• 2010 – Bruno Schleinstein, German actor (b. 1932)
• 2011 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Warrant and Saints of the Underground) (b. 1964)
• 2012 – Red Bastien, American wrestler, trainer, and promoter (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Michael Dokes, American boxer (b. 1958)
• 2012 – Von Freeman, American saxophonist (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Lucy Gallardo, Argentinian-Mexican actress and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Heidi Holland, South African journalist and author (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, Indian linguist and academic (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Bill Rafferty, American comedian and game show host (b. 1944)
• 2013 – Raymond Delisle, French cyclist (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Zafar Futehally, Indian ornithologist and author (b. 1919)
• 2013 – David Howard, English ballet dancer and educator (b. 1937)
• 2013 – Henry Polic II, American actor (b. 1945)
• 2014 – Vladimir Beara, Croatian footballer and manager (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Vol Dooley, American police officer (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Raymond Gravel, Canadian priest and politician (b. 1952)
• 2014 – Kika Szaszkiewiczowa, Polish author and blogger (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Robin Williams, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Serge Collot, French viola player and educator (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Eddie Cusic, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Nour El-Sherif, Egyptian actor and producer (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Richard Oriani, Salvadoran-American metallurgist and engineer (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Athracht
  • Clare of Assisi
  • Fiacre
  • Gaugericus
  • John Henry Newman (Church of England)
  • Philomena
  • Susanna
  • Taurinus of Évreux
  • Tiburtius and Chromatius
  • August 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Flag Day (Pakistan)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Chad from France in 1960.
• Mountain Day (Japan)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada