October 11
October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 81 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria.
- 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed in battle with the Roman Catholic cantons of Switzerland.
- 1582 - Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
- 1614 - Adriaen Block and 12 Amsterdam merchants petition the States General for exclusive trading rights in the New Netherland colony.
- 1634 - the Burchardi flood — "the second Grote Mandrenke" killed around 15,000 men in North Friesland, Denmark and Germany.
- 1776 - American Revolution: Battle of Valcour Island - On Lake Champlain 15 American gunboats are defeated but give Patriot forces enough time to prepare defenses of New York City.
- 1809 - Along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee, explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances at an inn called Grinder's Stand.
- 1811 - Inventor John Stevens' boat, the Juliana, begins operation as the first steam-powered ferry (service between New York, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey).
- 1852 - The University of Sydney, Australia's oldest university, is inaugurated in Sydney.
- 1862 - American Civil War: In the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart and his men loot Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during a raid into the north.
- 1864 - Campina Grande, Brazil was established as a city.
- 1865 - Paul Bogle led hundreds of black men and women in a march in Jamaica, starting the Morant Bay rebellion.
- 1890 - In Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.
- 1899 - Second Boer War begins: In South Africa, a war between the United Kingdom and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State erupts.
- 1899 - The Western League was renamed the American League.
- 1906 - San Francisco public school board sparks United States diplomatic crisis with Japan by ordering Japanese students to be taught in racially segregated schools.
- 1910 - Ex-president Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane. He flew for four minutes with Arch Hoxsey in a plane built by the Wright Brothers at Kinloch Field (Lambert-St. Louis International Airport), St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1929 - JC Penney opens store #1252 in Milford, Delaware, making it a nationwide company with stores in all 48 U.S. states.
- 1941 - Beginning of the National Liberation War of Macedonia.
- 1942 - World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance - On the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, United States Navy ships intercept and defeat a Japanese fleet on their way to reinforce troops on the island.
- 1944 - Tuvinian People's Republic or formerly Tannu Tuva was annexed by the U.S.S.R
- 1950 - Television: CBS's mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
- 1954 - First Indochina War: The Viet Minh take control of North Vietnam.
- 1957 - Space Race: M.I.T. scientists calculate Sputnik I's booster rocket's orbit.
- 1958 - Pioneer program: NASA launches the lunar probe Pioneer 1 (the probe falls back to Earth and burns up).
- 1962 - Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.
- 1968 - Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard.
- 1975 - The NBC sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian and Billy Preston as guests.
- 1976 - George Washington's appointment, posthumously, to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by congressional joint resolution Public Law 94-479 was approved by President Gerald R. Ford.
- 1982 - The Mary Rose, a Tudor gunship which sank on July 18 1545, is raised from the sea bed in the Solent Channel, near Portsmouth.
- 1984 - Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.
- 1986 - Cold War: U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Reykjavík, Iceland, in an effort to continue discussions about scaling back their intermediate missile arsenals in Europe. G
- 1998 - A Congo Airlines Boeing 727 is shot down by rebels in Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 40 people.
- 2000 - The 100th Space Shuttle mission (STS-92) is flown.
- 2001 - The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.
- 2002 - A bomb attack in a shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven.
Births
- 1335 - Taejo of Joseon, ruler of Korea (d. 1408)
- 1616 - Andreas Gryphius, German writer (d. 1664)
- 1661 - Melchior de Polignac, French diplomat (d. 1742)
- 1671 - Frederick IV of Denmark (d. 1730)
- 1671 - Richard Moungler (d. 1730)
- 1672 - Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian Zaporozhian Cossack starshina, diplomat (d. 1742)
- 1675 - Samuel Clarke, English philosopher (d. 1729)
- 1738 - Arthur Phillip, Governor of New South Wales (d. 1814)
- 1758 - Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers, German astronomer (d. 1840)
- 1786 - Stevenson Archer, American Congressman (d. 1848)
- 1788 - Simon Sechter, Austrian music teacher (d. 1867)
- 1809 - Orson Squire Fowler, American phrenologist (d. 1887)
- 1814 - Jean Baptiste Lamy, first Archbishop of Santa Fe (d. 1888)
- 1815 - Pierre Napoleon Bonaparte, Italian-born adventurer (d. 1881)
- 1821 - George Williams, English founder of the YMCA (d. 1905)
- 1844 - Henry Heinz, American food manufacturer (d. 1916)
- 1865 - Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian author and philologist (d. 1926)
- 1871 - Johan Oscar Smith, Norweigian religious leader (d. 1943)
- 1872 - Harlan Fiske Stone, 12th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1946)
- 1881 - Hans Kelsen, Austrian legal theorist (d. 1973)
- 1884 - Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1949)
- 1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (d. 1962)
- 1884 - Sig Ruman, German-American actor (d. 1967)
- 1885 - François Mauriac, French author, Nobel laureate (d. 1970)
- 1895 - Jakov Gotovac, Croatian composer (d. 1982)
- 1897 - Nathan Twining, USAF general (d. 1982)
- 1899 - Eddie Dyer, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1902 - Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian freedom fighter and political leader (d. 1979)
- 1905 - Fred Trump, American real estate developer, father of Donald Trump (d. 1999)
- 1913 - Dorothy Woolfolk, American comic book editor (d. 2000)
- 1918 - Jerome Robbins, American choreographer (d. 1998)
- 1919 - Art Blakey, American jazz drummer (d. 1990)
- 1919 - Jean Vander Pyl, American voice actress (d. 1999)
- 1924 - Mal Whitfield, American athlete
- 1925 - Elmore Leonard, American novelist
- 1926 - Neville Wran, Premier of New South Wales
- 1926 - Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk
- 1927 - Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (d. 2005)
- 1928 - Alfonso de Portago, Spanish race car driver (d. 1957)
- 1929 - Liselotte Pulver, Swiss actress
- 1930 - Sam Johnson, American politician
- 1930 - LaVell Edwards, American football coach
- 1932 - Dottie West, American singer (d. 1991)
- 1936 - Billy Higgins, American jazz drummer (d. 2001)
- 1937 - Sir Bobby Charlton, English footballer
- 1937 - R. H. W. Dillard, American poet
- 1939 - Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player
- 1939 - Austin Currie, Northern Irish politician
- 1941 - Lester Bowie, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1999)
- 1941 - Charles Shyer, American film director
- 1942 - Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor
- 1943 - John Nettles, English actor
- 1944 - Mike Fiore, American baseball player
- 1944 - Rodney Marsh, English Footballer
- 1946 - Sawao Kato, Japanese gymnast
- 1946 - Oba Chandler, American convicted murderer
- 1946 - Daryl Hall, American musician
- 1946 - Gary Mallaber, American musician (The Steve Miller Band)
- 1947 - Al Atkins, English musician
- 1947 - Lucas Papademos, Greek economist
- 1947 - Thomas Boswell, American sports columnist
- 1948 - Cecilia, Spanish singer-songwriter
- 1950 - Patty Murray, American politician, senior senator from Washington
- 1951 - Jean-Jacques Goldman, French singer/songwriter
- 1953 - David Morse, American actor
- 1956 - Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of Paraguay
- 1957 - Paul Bown, English actor
- 1957 - Dawn French, Welsh comedian
- 1957 - Paul Sereno, American paleontologist
- 1958 - Gregory Dudek, Canadian roboticist and computer scientist
- 1959 - Wayne Gardner, Australian racing driver
- 1960 - Curt Ford, American baseball player
- 1961 - Neil Buchanan, English television presenter
- 1961 - Amr Diab, Egyptian singer
- 1961 - Steve Young, American football player
- 1962 - Nicola Bryant, English actress
- 1962 - Joan Cusack, American actress
- 1963 - Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan
- 1963 - Ronny Rosenthal, Israeli footballer
- 1964 - Michael J. Nelson, American actor
- 1965 - Alexander Hacke, German musician (Einstürzende Neubauten)
- 1965 - Sean Patrick Flanery, American actor
- 1966 - Solofa Fatu, aka Rikishi, American professional wrestler
- 1966 - Luke Perry, American actor
- 1967 - Tony Chimel, American professional wrestling announcer
- 1967 - Artie Lange, American actor and comedian
- 1967 - David Starr, American race car driver
- 1967 - Tazz, American professional wrestler and commentator
- 1967 - Gordon Grahame, Scottish Singer Songwriter
- 1968 - Claude Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 - Jane Krakowski, American actress
- 1969 - Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
- 1970 - Chidi Ahanotu, American football player
- 1970 - Andy Marriott, English footballer
- 1970 - U-God, American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan)
- 1970 - Constance Zimmer, American actress
- 1971 - MC Lyte, American rapper
- 1971 - Petra Haden, American musician (The Rentals)
- 1971 - Jason Ellis, Australian professional skateboarder
- 1972 - Claudia Black, Australian actress
- 1973 - Takeshi Kaneshiro, actor/model
- 1973 - Steven Pressley, Scottish footballer
- 1973 - Mike Smith, American guitarist (Snot, Limp Bizkit)
- 1973 - Dmitri Young, American baseball player
- 1973 - Niki Xanthou, Greek long jumper
- 1974 - Jason Arnott, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 - Terje Haakonsen, Norwegian snowboarder
- 1976 - Emily Deschanel, American actress
- 1976 - Brent Bennett, American mercenary
- 1977 - Matthew Bomer, American actor
- 1977 - Desmond Mason, American basketball player
- 1977 - Claudia Palacios, Colombian television journalist
- 1977 - Ty Wigginton, American baseball player
- 1978 - Kali, Angolan footballer
- 1979 - Bae Doona, South Korean model and actress
- 1979 - Andy Douglas, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Gabe Saporta, Uruguayan-born American musician (Cobra Starship, Midtown)
- 1980 - Nyron Nosworthy, English footballer
- 1981 - Beau Brady, Australian Actor
- 1983 - William Sledd, American internet personality
- 1983 - Ruslan Ponomariov, Ukrainian chess player
- 1984 - Sergio Hellings, Dutch footballer
- 1984 - Martha MacIsaac, Canadian actress
- 1985 - Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
- 1987 - Mike Conley, Jr., American basketball player
- 1989 - Henry Lau, member of Korean Boy Band Super Junior M
- 1989 - Michelle Wie, American golfer
- 1991 - Chauncey Matthews, American Juniors singer
Deaths
- 1188 - Robert I of Dreux, son of Louis VI of France
- 1303 - Pope Boniface VIII
- 1347 - Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1282)
- 1424 - Jan Žižka, leader of the Hussites (b. 1360)
- 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Protestant leader (b. 1484)
- 1705 - Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (b. 1663)
- 1708 - Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician (b. 1651)
- 1721 - Edward Colston, English merchant and philanthropist (b. 1636)
- 1725 - Hans Herr, Swiss-born Mennonite bishop (b. 1639)
- 1779 - Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish fighter for American independence (b. 1745)
- 1809 - Meriwether Lewis, American explorer (b. 1774)
- 1811 - Johann Conrad Ammann, Swiss physician and naturalist (b. 1724)
- 1821 - John Ross Key, American judge and lawyer (b. 1754)
- 1852 - Ferdinand Eisenstein, German mathematician (b. 1823)
- 1889 - James Prescott Joule, English physicist (b. 1818)
- 1896 - Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer (b. 1824)
- 1896 - Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1829)
- 1897 - Léon Boëllmann, French composer (b. 1862)
- 1935 - Steele Rudd, Australian author (b. 1868)
- 1940 - Lluís Companys, President of Generalitat of Catalonia (shot) (b. 1882)
- 1940 - Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist (b. 1860)
- 1961 - Chico Marx, American comedian (b. 1887)
- 1963 - Jean Cocteau, French writer (b. 1889)
- 1965 - Dorothea Lange, American photographer (b. 1895)
- 1965 - Walther Stampfli, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1884)
- 1971 - Chesty Puller, the most decorated Marine in history (b. 1898)
- 1976 - Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author (b. 1897)
- 1977 - MacKinlay Kantor, American author (b. 1904)
- 1988 - Bonita Granville, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1989 - M. King Hubbert, American geophysicist (b. 1904)
- 1991 - Steven Jesse Bernstein, American underground poet (suicide) (b. 1950)
- 1991 - Redd Foxx, American comedian and actor (b. 1922)
- 1993 - Jess Thomas, American tenor (b. 1927)
- 1996 - Lars Ahlfors, Finnish mathematician (b. 1907)
- 1996 - Joe Morris, C.C., LL.D., Canadian trade unionist (b. 1913)
- 1996 - Renato Russo, Brazilian rock singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
- 1998 - Richard Denning, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2000 - Donald Dewar, First Minister of Scotland (b. 1937)
- 2002 - Dina Pathak, Indian Actress (b. 1922)
- 2004 - Keith Miller, Australian sportsman (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and Prime Minister in exile (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Linguist, and writer of Pakistan (b. 1917)
- 2006 - Cory Lidle, American baseball pitcher (b. 1972)
- 2006 - Howard Kerzner, Chief Executive Officer of Kerzner International (b. 1964)
- 2007 - Werner von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (b. 1915)
- 2007 - David Lee "Tex" Hill, World War Two fighter pilot, flying ace, 1st American Volunteer Group (b. 1915)
- 2008 - Jörg Haider, Austrian far-right politician (b. 1950)
Holidays and observances
- Roman Empire - Meditrinalia is held in honor of Meditrina
- RC Saints - memorial of the blessed Pope John XXIII; Saints Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus; Alexander Sauli;
- United States - National Coming Out Day
- Republic of Macedonia - Revolution Day