Vintage News · Odd history for August 11

What Happened On August 11

Q: What happened on August 11?

1492: The first conclave to be held in the Sistine Chapel elected Roderic Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Innocent VIII. 1786: Francis Light founded George Town (city hall pictured), the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and the present-day capital of the Malaysian state of Penang. 1858: The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren. 1804: Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria. 1492: Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Alexander VI. 1999: Ken Levine's System Shock 2 was released to mediocre sales, but later received critical acclaim and influenced subsequent first-person shooter game design. 1929: The first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, the oldest and largest African-American parade in the United States, was held in Chicago. 2023: Luna 25 launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. 2003: NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history. 1991: Nickelodeon's first line of "Nicktoons" (Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy) premiere on the channel.

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10 odd things that happened on August 11

1492 First ever
The first conclave to be held in the Sistine Chapel elected Roderic Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Innocent VIII.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1786 First ever
Francis Light founded George Town (city hall pictured), the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and the present-day capital of the Malaysian state of Penang.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1858 First ever
The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1804 First ever
Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1492 Oddly true
Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Alexander VI.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1999 First ever
Ken Levine's System Shock 2 was released to mediocre sales, but later received critical acclaim and influenced subsequent first-person shooter game design.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1929 First ever
The first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, the oldest and largest African-American parade in the United States, was held in Chicago.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2023 Oddly true
Luna 25 launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2003 First ever
NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1991 First ever
Nickelodeon's first line of "Nicktoons" (Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy) premiere on the channel.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2023Luna 25 launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Wikipedia →
2017At least 41 people are killed and another 179 injured after two passenger trains collide in Alexandria, Egypt. Wikipedia →
2012At least 306 people are killed and 3,000 others injured in a pair of earthquakes near Tabriz, Iran. Wikipedia →
2006The oil tanker MT Solar 1 sinks off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Islands in the Philippines, causing the country's worst oil spill. Wikipedia →
2003NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history. Wikipedia →
2003Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. Wikipedia →
2000An air rage incident occurs on board Southwest Airlines Flight 1763 when 19-year-old Jonathan Burton attempts to storm the cockpit, but he is subdued by other passengers and dies from his injuries. Wikipedia →
1996The killing of Tassos Isaac by Turkish nationalists of the Grey Wolves in the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus. Wikipedia →
1995The Russell Hill subway accident in Toronto kills three and injures 30, due to a combination of human error and a safety system design flaw. Wikipedia →
1992The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota opens. At the time, it is the largest shopping mall in the United States. Wikipedia →
1991Nickelodeon's first line of "Nicktoons" (Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy) premiere on the channel. Wikipedia →
1988A meeting between Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif, Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, and leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in Afghanistan culminates in the formation of Al-Qaeda. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1982A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing one passenger and injuring 15 others. Wikipedia →
1979Two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s collide over the Ukrainian city of Dniprodzerzhynsk and crash, killing all 178 aboard both airliners. Wikipedia →
1975East 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. Wikipedia →
1973At the 1520 Sedgwick Avenue apartment building in The Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc hosts a house party widely considered to mark the birthplace of hip-hop culture and music. DJ Kool Herc demonstrates a new technique of beat juggling and Coke La Rock performs a new style of vocal performance called rapping. Wikipedia →
1972Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit leaves South Vietnam. Wikipedia →
1969The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the Moon. Wikipedia →
1965Race riots (the Watts Riots) begin in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California. Wikipedia →
1962Vostok 3 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity. Wikipedia →
1961The former Portuguese territories in India of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are merged to create the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Wikipedia →
1960Chad declares independence from France. Wikipedia →
1959Sheremetyevo International Airport, the second-largest airport in Russia, opens. Wikipedia →
1952Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan. Wikipedia →
1945Poles in Kraków engage in a pogrom against Jews in the city, killing one and wounding five. Wikipedia →
1942Actress 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, two-way radio communications, and Wi-Fi. Wikipedia →
1934The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island. Wikipedia →
1929Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio. Wikipedia →
1920The 1920 Cork hunger strike begins which eventually results in the deaths of three Irish Republicans including the Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney. Wikipedia →
1920The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence. Wikipedia →
1919Germany's Weimar Constitution is signed into law. Wikipedia →
1918World War I: The Battle of Amiens ends. Wikipedia →
1898Spanish–American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Wikipedia →
1871An explosion of guncotton occurs in Stowmarket, England, killing 28. Wikipedia →
1858The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren. Wikipedia →
1813In Colombia, Juan del Corral declares the independence of Antioquia. Wikipedia →
1812Peninsular War: French troops engage British-Portuguese forces in the Battle of Majadahonda. Wikipedia →
1804Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria. Wikipedia →
1786Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia. Wikipedia →
1685Morean War: The 49-day Siege of Coron ends with the surrender and massacre of its garrison by the Venetians. Wikipedia →
1675Franco-Dutch War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire defeat the French in the Battle of Konzer Brücke. Wikipedia →
1492Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Alexander VI. Wikipedia →
1473The Battle of Otlukbeli: Mehmed the Conqueror of the Ottoman Empire decisively defeats Uzun Hassan of Aq Qoyunlu. Wikipedia →
1332Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor: Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol. Wikipedia →
1315The Great Famine of Europe becomes so dire that even the king of England has difficulties buying bread for himself and his entourage. Wikipedia →
923The Qarmatians of Bahrayn capture and pillage the city of Basra. Wikipedia →
490Battle of Adda: The Goths under Theodoric the Great and his ally Alaric II defeat the forces of Odoacer on the Adda River, near Milan. Wikipedia →
355Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II. Wikipedia →
117Hadrian is proclaimed Roman emperor, two days after Trajan's death. Wikipedia →
106The south-western part of Dacia (modern Romania) becomes a Roman province: Roman Dacia. Wikipedia →
2492 BCTraditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation. Wikipedia →
3114 BCThe Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.