August 11
is the 223rd day of the year (224th in
leap years) in the
Gregorian Calendar. There are 142 days remaining.
*
3114 BC - On this date in the
proleptic Gregorian calendar begins our current era in the
Maya Long Count Calendar.
*
586 BC - The
First Temple (originially built by
King Solomon) is destroyed by the
Babylonians in
Jerusalem.
*
480 BC -
Greco-Persian Wars:
Battle of Thermopylae -
Persians under
Xerxes defeat
Spartans under King
Leonidas. The Spartans fought to the last man.
* 480 BC -
Greco-Persian Wars:
Battle of Artemisium - The Persian and Greek fleets also fight the indecisive .
*
70 - The
Second Temple is destroyed by the
Romans in
Jerusalem.
*
355 -
Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself
Roman Emperor against
Constantius II.
*
1492 -
Alexander VI is elected
Pope.
*
1711 - The first race meeting was held at
Ascot*
1858 - First ascent of the
Eiger.
*
1898 -
Spanish-American War: American troops enter the city of
Mayagüez,
Puerto Rico.
*
1918 -
World War I -
Battle of Amiens ends
*
1919 - Constitution of
Weimar Republic adopted
*
1920 - The
Latvia -
Bolshevist Russia peace treaty which relinquished Russia`s authority and pretences to Latvian nation and territory for all time. In
1940 the
Soviet Union unilaterally broke this Treaty and occupied
Latvia*
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 - Federal prison opened at
Alcatraz Island
*
1951 -
René Pleven becomes Prime Minister of
France*
1952 -
Hussein proclaimed king of
Jordan*
1956 -
Jackson Pollock dies in car crash
East Hampton, NY*
1960 -
Chad declares independence
*
1965 - Race riots (the
Watts riots) begin in
Watts area of
Los Angeles, California*
1966 -
John Lennon holds a press conference in Chicago apologizing for stating that the Beatles were
"more popular than Jesus".
*
1968 - The last steam passenger train service ran in Britain. A
British Rail steam
locomotive made the 314-mile journey from
Liverpool to
Carlisle and returned to Liverpool before being dispatched to the
Wrecking yard.
*
1970 - A trademark application by the
Van Brode Milling Company for the word
Spork was published by the
USPTO.
*
1972 -
Vietnam War: The last
United States ground combat unit depart
South Vietnam*
1984 -
United States President Ronald Reagan, during a voice check for a radio broadcast remarks "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw
Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes".
*
1987 -
Alan Greenspan becomes
Chairman of the
United States Federal Reserve.
*
1995 -
Russell Hill subway accident kills three people in
Toronto, Ontario,
Canada.
*
1999 - A total
solar eclipse visible from Europe and Asia.
*
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.
* 2003 - A big
heat wave in
Paris had temperatures up to 112°
F (44°
C), with about 144 people dead.
*
2005 - Murderer
Mitchell Johnson is released from prison on his 21st birthday.
*
2006 - The last
software patent will expire on the
GIF format.
*
1667 -
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (d.
1743)
*
1673 -
Richard Mead, English physician (d.
1754)
*
1718 - Sir
Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-born British colonial governor (d.
1791)
*
1722 -
Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d.
1797)
*
1794 -
James Barton Longacre, American engraver (d.
1869)
*
1807 -
David Rice Atchison, American politician (d.
1886)
*
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)
*
1858 -
Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1930)
*
1863 -
Gaston Doumergue,
President of the
French Third Republic (d.
1937)
*
1870 -
Tom Richardson, English cricketer (d.
1912).
*
1872 -
Shidehara Kijuro,
Prime Minister of Japan (d.
1951)
*
1892 -
Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist (d.
1962)
*
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)
*
1912 -
Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d.
1954)
* 1912 -
Thanom Kittikachorn,
Prime Minister of Thailand (d.
2004)
*
1913 -
Angus Wilson, British novelist (d.
1991)
*
1914 -
José Silva, American parapsychologist (d.
1999)
*
1919 -
Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d.
1949)
*
1920 -
Chuck Rayner, American ice hockey player (d.
2002)
*
1921 -
Alex Haley, American historian (d.
1992)
*
1925 -
Mike Douglas, American entertainer
*
1926 -
Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-born chemist,
Nobel Prize Laureate*
1928 -
Arlene Dahl, American actress
*
1932 -
Fernando Arrabal, Spanish writer
*
1932 -
Israel Asper, Canadian tax lawyer (d.
2003)
*
1933 -
Jerry Falwell, American preacher
*
1938 -
Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist
*
1943 -
Abigail Folger, American murder victim (d.
1969)
* 1943 -
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani general, 12th President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
*
1944 -
Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor
* 1944 -
Fred Smith, American entrepreneur
*
1946 -
Marilyn vos Savant, American newspaper columnist
*
1946 -
John Conlee, American
country music singer
*
1948 -
Jan Palach, Czechoslovakian student protester
*
1949 -
Eric Carmen, American musician
*
1950 -
Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor
* 1950 -
Steve Wozniak, American computer pioneer
*
1953 -
Hulk Hogan, American wrestler
*
1954 -
Joe Jackson, English singer
* 1954 -
Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer
*
1955 -
Sylvia Hermon, British politician
*
1957 -
Richie Ramone, American musician (
The Ramones)
*
1960 -
Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (
Soda Stereo)
*
1964 -
Jim Lee, Korean-born comic book artist
*
1965 -
Marc Bergevin, professional ice hockey player
*
1966 -
Nigel Martyn, English footballer
*
1967 -
Joe Rogan, American television host
* 1967 -
Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer
*
1968 -
Lorenzo Bernardi, Italian volleyball player
* 1968 -
Charlie Sexton, American musician
* 1968 -
Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer
*
1969 -
Jonah Matranga, American singer
*
1970 -
Andy Bell, English musician (
Oasis)
*
1971 -
Tommy Mooney, English football player
*
1972 -
Jonathon Prandi, American model
*
1974 -
Audrey Mestre, French diver
*
1974 -
Will Friedle, American Actor
*
1976 -
Ben Gibbard, American musician (
Death Cab For Cutie,
The Postal Service)
* 1976 -
Ľubomir Visnovsky, Slovak ice hockey player
* 1976 -
Bubba Crosby, American baseball player
*
1978 -
Jermain Taylor, American boxer
*
1980 -
Lee Suggs, American football player
*
1984 -
Melky Cabrera, American baseball player
*
1993 -
Alyson Stoner, American actress
*
480 BC -
Leonidas, King of Sparta
*
353 -
Magnentius,
Roman usurper*
449 -
Flavian,
patriarch of Constantinople*
897 -
Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona
*
1204 - King
Guttorm of Norway (b.
1199)
*
1253 -
Clare of Assisi, Italian follower of
Francis of Assisi (b.
1194)
*
1456 -
John Hunyadi, Regent of
Kingdom of Hungary (b.
1387)
*
1464 -
Nicholas of Cusa, German philosopher and mathematician (b.
1401)
*
1519 -
Johann Tetzel, German opponent of the Reformation (b.
1465)
*
1563 -
Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer
*
1578 -
Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b.
1502)
*
1614 -
Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (b.
1552)
*
1656 -
Prince Octavio Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, Austrian field marshal (b.
1599)
*
1676 -
Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, German writer (b.
1621)
*
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)
*
1890 -
John Henry Cardinal Newman, English Catholic cardinal (b.
1801)
*
1892 -
Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician (b.
1813)
*
1919 -
Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist (b.
1835)
*
1937 -
Edith Wharton, American author (b.
1862)
*
1939 -
Jean Bugatti, Italian automobile designer (b.
1909)
*
1953 -
Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver (b.
1892)
*
1956 -
Jackson Pollock, American artist (b.
1912)
*
1961 -
Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian writer, stage actor and director (b.
1910)
*
1972 -
Max Theiler, South African virologist,
Nobel Prize Laureate (b.
1899)
*
1980 -
Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b.
1910)
*
1982 -
Tom Drake, American actor (b.
1918)
*
1984 -
Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (b.
1892)
*
1988 -
Anne Ramsey, American actress (b.
1929)
*
1994 -
Peter Cushing, British actor (b.
1913)
*
1995 -
Phil Harris, American singer, songwriter and comedian (b.
1904)
*
1996 -
Rafael Kubelík, Czech-born conductor and composer (b.
1914)
*
2000 -
Jean Papineau-Couture, French Canadian composer (b.
1916)
*
2003 -
Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b.
1923)
* 2003 -
Herb Brooks, American hockey coach (b.
1937)
*
2005 -
James Booth, English actor (b.
1927)
*
Brazil - Student´s Day, Lawyer´s Day, Foundation of the Law Studies in Brazil
*
Taiwan -
Valentine's Day*
Zimbabwe - Heroes Day
*
Roman Catholicism - the feasts of at least 6 saints:
**St.
Tiburtius**St.
Chromatius**St.
Equitius**St. Gery/
Gaugericus**St.
Susanna**St.
Clare of Assisi*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This DayAugust 10 -
August 12 -
July 11 -
September 11 --
listing of all days
