Today August 11th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Colombian Mesoamerican civilations, notably the Mayans, begins.
2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation.
480 BC – Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Artemisium – the Persians achieve a naval victory over the Greeks in an engagement fought near Artemisium, a promontory on the north coast of Euboea. The Greek fleet holds its own against the Persians in three days of fighting but withdraws southward when news comes of the defeat at Thermopylae.
355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.
1786 – Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia
1804 – Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria
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 pretenses to Latvia, is signed.
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 – First civilian prisoners arrive at Federal prison on Alcatraz Island.
1952 – Hussein proclaimed king of Jordan.
1960 – Chad declares independence.
1965 – Race riots (the Watts riots) begin in Watts area of Los Angeles, California.
1968 – The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain. A selection of British Rail steam locomotives make the 120-mile journey from Liverpool to Carlisle and returns to Liverpool before having their fires dropped for the last time – this working was known as the Fifteen Guinea Special.
1972 – Vietnam War: the last United States ground combat unit departs 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.
1988 – Al-Qaeda formed
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.
2003 – A heat wave in Paris results in temperatures rising to 112°F (44° C), leaving about 144 people dead.
Births
1467 – Mary of York, English princess (d. 1482)
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)
1778 – Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German (Prussian) gymnastics educator and nationalist (d. 1852)
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)
1855 – John Hodges, Australian cricketer (d. 1933)
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)
1870 – Walter Bowman, Canadian soccer player (d. ?)
1872 – Shidehara Kijuro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1951)
1877 – Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (d. 1954)
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)
1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)
1912 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2004)
1913 – Angus Wilson, British novelist (d. 1991)
1913 – Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (d. 1976)
1913 – Bob Scheffing, American professional baseball player and manager (d. 1985)
1914 – José Silva, American parapsychologist (d. 1999)
1916 – Johnny Claes, Belgian racing driver (d. 1956)
1919 – Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)
1920 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2002)
1921 – Alex Haley, American historian (d. 1992)
1923 – Stan Chambers, American television reporter
1925 – Mike Douglas, American entertainer (d. 2006)
1925 – Floyd Curry, National Hockey League player (d. 2006)
1926 – Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-born chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate
1926 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-born British socialite
1928 – Arlene Dahl, American actress
1932 – Fernando Arrabal, Spanish writer
1932 – Israel Asper, Canadian tax lawyer (d. 2003)
1932 – John Gorrie, English director
1933 – Jerry Falwell, American preacher (d. 2007)
1936 – Andre Dubus, American short-story writer (d. 1999)
1938 – Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist
1939 – Ronnie Dawson, American rockabilly performer (d. 2003)
1942 – Mike Hugg, British musician (Manfred Mann)
1943 – Abigail Folger, American heiress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
1943 – Stefania Toczyska, Polish mezzo-soprano
1943 – Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani politician
1944 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor
1944 – Fred Smith, American entrepreneur
1946 – Marilyn vos Savant, American newspaper columnist
1946 – John Conlee, American country music singer
1947 – Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek politician
1948 – Jan Palach, Czechoslovakian student protester (d. 1969)
1949 – Eric Carmen, American musician
1949 – Tim Hutchinson, American politician
1950 – Erik Brann, American musician (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)
1950 – Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor
1950 – Steve Wozniak, American computer pioneer
1951 – Vincent Bilodeau, Quebec actor and comedian
1952 – Bob Mothersbaugh, AKA Bob 1, American Musician (DEVO)
1953 – Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler
1954 – Joe Jackson, English singer
1954 – Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer
1954 – Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricketer
1954 – M. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer
1955 – Sylvia Hermon, British politician
1955 – Marc Bureau, French Canadian politician
1956 – Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician
1957 – Richie Ramone, American musician (Ramones)
1957 – Ian Stuart Donaldson, British singer (Skrewdriver)
1959 – Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (Soda Stereo)
1959 – Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese investor
1962 – Shaul Karnain, Sri Lankan cricketer
1963 – Hiromi Makihara, Japanese baseball player
1964 – Jim Lee, Korean-born comic book artist
1964 – Miguel A. Núñez Jr., American actor
1965 – Marc Bergevin, Canadian professional ice hockey player
1965 – Shinji Mikami, Japanese video game designer (Resident Evil)
1965 – Viola Davis, American actress
1965 – Embeth Davidtz, American actress
1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer
1967 – Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer
1967 – Eric Maleson, Brazilian Bobsleigh 2002 Olympian
1967 – Collin Chou, Taiwanese actor
1967 – Joe Rogan, American television host
1968 – Lorenzo Bernardi, Italian volleyball player
1968 – Charlie Sexton, American musician
1968 – Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer
1968 – Veda Hille, Canadian singer
1968 – Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
1968 – Anna Gunn, American actress
1969 – Jonah Matranga, American singer
1969 – Ashley Jensen, Scottish actress
1970 – Andy Bell, English musician (Ride, Hurricane #1, Oasis)
1971 – Tommy Mooney, English football player
1971 – Alejandra Barros, Mexican actress
1971 – Julie Clarke, Playboy playmate
1972 – Jonathon Prandi, American model
1973 – Nigel Harman, British actor
1974 – Audrey Mestre, French diver
1974 – Will Friedle, American actor
1974 – Hadiqa Kiyani, Pakistani pop star
1974 – Marie-France Dubreuil, French Canadian figure skater
1974 – Anju Jain, Indian cricketer(women s team)
1975 – Davey von Bohlen, American musician, (The Promise Ring, Maritime)
1975 – Ronald Clarke, American musician and founder of aliennetwork Records
1976 – Ben Gibbard, American musician (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service)
1976 – Lubomir Visnovsky, Slovak ice hockey player
1976 – Bubba Crosby, American baseball player
1976 – Erick Lindgren, American poker player
1977 – Gemma Hayes, Irish born singer
1978 – Jermain Taylor, American boxer
1978 – Amber Brkich, American reality television personality
1980 – Lee Suggs, American football player
1981 – Sandi Thom, Scottish born singer
1981 – Fiona Sit, Hong Kong singer and actress
1982 – Alan Halsall, British actor
1983 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian Actor
1984 – Melky Cabrera, Dominican baseball player
1984 – Katie Rees, American beauty pageant contestant
1984 – Lucas Di Grassi, Brazilian racing driver
1985 – Grace Adams-Short, British reality television contestant
1986 – Kaori Fukuhara, Japanese voice actress
1987 – Nkem Ojougboh, American basketball player
1988 – Patrick Mills, Australian basketball player
1992 – Allison Lozano, Mexican actress
1993 – Alyson Stoner, American actress
Deaths
480 BC – Leonidas, King of Sparta (b. c. 540 BC)
353 – Magnentius, Roman usurper (b. 303)
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 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, son of William Shakespeare (b. 1585)
1614 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (b. 1552)
1656 – Prince Octavio Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, Austrian 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)
1886 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet (b. 1843)
1890 – John Henry Cardinal Newman, English Catholic 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 industrialist and philanthropist (b. 1835)
1936 – Blas Infante, Spanish writer and politician (b. 1885)
1937 – Edith Wharton, American author (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 Škema, Lithuanian writer actor and director (b. 1910)
1965 – Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer (b. 1897)
1972 – Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1899)
1974 – Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan musician.
1974 – Jan Tschichold, German typographer (b. 1902)
1980 – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1910)
1982 – Tom Drake, American actor (b. 1918)
1984 – Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (b. 1892)
1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–German chess player (b. 1916)
1988 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)
1991 – J. D. McDuffie, American NASCAR driver (b. 1939)
1994 – Peter Cushing, British actor (b. 1913)
1995 – Phil Harris, American singer and comedian (b. 1904)
1996 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech-born conductor and composer (b. 1914)
1996 – Mel Taylor, American drummer (The Ventures) (b. 1933)
2000 – Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer (b. 1916)
2001 – Percy Stallard, English racing 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)
Holidays and observances
Attracta
Saint Fiacre
Gaugericus (Géry), bishop of Cambrai, confessor (sometimes martyr) [Cambrai, Liège, Magdeburg, Paderborn, Winchester]
Saint Taurinus, bishop of Evreux, confessor [northern France, England]
Saints Tiburtius and Chromatius, martyrs [common]
Saint Susanna, virgin, martyr in 295 [common]
Saint Clare of Assisi, virgin
Saint Philomena
