On this day in History - Aug 11

• 3114 BC - beginning of our current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar
• 480 BC - Persians under Xerxes defeat Spartans under King Leonidas in the Battle of Thermopylae. The Spartans fought to the last man.
• 480 BC - The Persian and Greek fleets also fight the indecisive Battle of Artemisium.
• 480 BC - Leonidas, King of Sparta dies
• 1253 - Saint Clare of Assisi dies (b. 1193). Patron saint of television.
• 1255 - A monja Clara Offreduccio (1193-1253), fundadora da Ordem das Clarissas, companheira de S. Francisco de Assis, é canonizada enquanto Santa Clara de Assis.
• 1259 - Mongke dies. Mongol great-khan, grandson of Genghis Khan.
• 1492 - Alexander VI is elected Pope. / Rodrigo de Borja, cardeal desde os 25 anos, bispo de Barcelona e arcebispo de Valência, é eleito Papa, adoptando o nome de Alexandre VI. A sua eleição foi um escândalo já que, enquanto cardeal, tinha cinco filhos de uma filha de uma antiga amante. Dois ficaram célebres com o apelido italianizado de Bórgia: César, nomeado cardeal pelo pai, e Lucrécia.
• 1578 - Pedro Nunes dies. Portuguese mathematician/astronomer (nonius).
• 1654 - D. João IV institui a Casa do Infantado - Portugal.
• 1667 - Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was born (d. 1743). Last of the Medicis.
• 1673 - Richard Mead was born (d. 1754). English physician.
• 1675 - Fundação do Observatório Astronómico de Greenwich.
• 1676 - Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen dies. German writer.
• 1711 - Pela primeira vez acontece a corrida de cavalos Royal Ascot, a mais espetacular da Inglaterra.
• 1718 - Sir Frederick Haldimand was born (d. 1791). Soldier.
• 1744 - Nascimento, no Porto, do poeta Tomás António Gonzaga (m. em Moçambique 1810). Marília de Dirceu, Cartas Chilenas. 1772 - 3000 personas mueren en la isla de Java causado por el volcán Papadang de 3.000 metros de altura que tras una violenta erupción queda reducido a los 1.700 metros.
• 1778 - Friedrich Ludwig Jahn was born (d. 15 Oct 1852). German known as the "father of gymnastics"
• 1793 - Inauguração do Museu de Louvre em Paris.
• 1794 - James Barton Longacre was born (d. 1869). American engraver.
• 1801 - Eduard Devrient was born (d. 4 Oct 1877). German dramatist
• 1801 - Félix María Samaniego dies. Spanish writer and poet.
• 1807 - David Rice Atchison was born (d. 1886). American politician. He was president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, and president of U.S. for one day [March 4, 1849], the Sunday before Zachary Taylor was sworn in
• 1813 - Henry James Pye dies (b. 1745). English poet.
• 1828 - Início do 1º mandato de Jose Miguel de Velasco (general) na presidência da Bolívia.
• 1833 - Robert G. Ingersoll was born (d. 1899). American politician and soldier.
• 1833 - Kido Takayoshi was born (d. 1877). Japanese politician.
• 1836 - Cato Maximilian Guldberg was born. Norwegian chemist.
• 1837 - Marie François Carnot was born. Engineer, French president (1887-94).
• 1844 - Justo Figuerola assume (pela 2º vez) a presidência do Peru
• 1858 - First ascent of the Eiger.1858 - Christiaan Eijkman was born. Dutch physician. Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929.
• 1861 - James Bryan Herrick was born (d. 7 Mar 1954). American cardiologist who studied sickle-cell anemia
• 1867 - Joe Weber was born (d. 10 May 1942). American comedian
• 1869 - Nuno José de Moura Barreto substitui Bernardo de Sá Nogueira de Figueiredo no cargo de ministro do reino de Portugal.1870 - Tom Richardson was born (d. 1912). English cricketer.
• 1872 - Shidehara Kijuro was born (d. 1951). Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1873 - Bertram Mills was born (d. 16 Apr 1938). English circus entrepreneur.
• 1882 - Rodolfo Graziani was born (d. 11 Jan 1955). Italian field marshal; adherent of Mussolini
• 1884 - Rafael Wenceslao Núñez Moledo assume (pela 2º vez) a presidência da Colômbia
• 1890 - John Henry Cardinal Newman dies (b. 1801). English Cardinal.
• 1892 - Término do mandato de Aniceto Arce Ruiz na presidência da Bolívia
• 1892 - Eiji Yoshikawa was born (d. 1962). Japanese novelist.
• 1892 - Hugh MacDiarmid was born (d. 9 Sep 1978). Scottish poet.
• 1897 - Enid Blyton was born (d. 1968). English author / Nascimento da escritora britânica Enid Blynton. Ficou famosa com a publicação da série de aventuras protagonizadas pelos Cinco
• 1897 - Louise Bogan was born (d. 4 Feb 1970). American poet.
• 1900 - Criação da Associação Atlética Ponte Preta (Campinas - SP)
• 1901 - Nasce Carlos Bernardo Gonzalez Pecotche, pensador Argentino, criador da Logosofia. Conhecido pelo pseudónimo Raumsol.
• 1902 - Alfredo Binda was born (d. 1986). Italian cyclist.
• 1902 - Lloyd Nolan was born (d. 27 Sep 1985). Actor.
• 1904 - German Massacre of Hereros
• 1905 - Erwin Chargaff was born (d. 2002). Biochemist.
• 1909 - The international distress call, SOS, which replaced CQD (All stations - distress!), was first used by an American ship : the ocean liner Arapahoe
• 1912 - Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs was born (d. 1954). Astronomer.
• 1912 - Thanom Kittikachorn was born (d. 2004). Prime Minister of Thailand.
• 1913 - Angus Wilson was born (d. 1991). British novelist.
• 1918 - World War I - Battle of Amiens ends1919 - Constitution of Weimar Republic adopted
• 1919 - Ginette Neveu was born (d. 1949). French violinist.
• 1919 - Andrew Carnegie dies (b. 1835). Industrialist, philanthropist.
• 1920 - The Latvia - Soviet 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
• 1921 - Alex Haley was born (d. 10 Feb 1992). American historian, novelist. Pulitzer Prize-winning author: Roots [1977]; The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Queen
• 1925 - Carl Rowan was born (d. 23 Sep 2000). Journalist
• 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.
• 1932 - Israel Asper was born (d. 2003). Canadian tax lawyer.
• 1932 - Fernando Arrabal was born. Spanish novelist, playwright and film director
• 1933 - Jerry Falwell was born. Christian preacher and politician
• 1934 - Federal prison opened at Alcatraz Island.
• 1936 - Blas Infante dies. Spanish politician and writer.
• 1936 - Benjamín Jarnés dies. Spanish writer.
• 1937 - Edith Wharton dies (b. 1862). American author.
• 1939 - Jean Bugatti dies (b. 1909). Automobile designer.
• 1942 - The German submarine U-73 attacked a Malta bound British convoy and sank the HMS Eagle, one of the world's first aircraft carriers.
• 1943 - World War II - First Quebec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, T. V. Soong and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.
• 1943 - Abigail Folger was born (d. 1969). American coffee heiress.
• 1943 - Pervez Musharraf was born. Pakistani general and leader
• 1944 - Ian McDiarmid was born. Actor
• 1946 - Marilyn vos Savant was born. Newspaper columnist
• 1946 - Óscar Berger was born. President of Guatemala
• 1948 - Summer Olympics opens in London
• 1948 - Jan Palach was born. Czechoslovakian student protester
• 1949 - Ian Charleson was born (d. 6 Jan 1990). English actor of stage, screen and television.
• 1949 - Eric Carmen was born in Cleveland, Ohio. American musician and Singer group: The Raspberries: Go All the Way; solo: All By Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love, Almost Paradise, Again, Hungry Eyes, Make Me Lose Control
• 1950 - Gennidy Nikonov was born. Russian weapons inventor.
• 1950 - Steve Wozniakwas born. American computer pioneer (co-founder: Apple Computer, Inc)
• 1951 - René Pleven becomes Prime Minister of France
• 1952 - Hussein proclaimed king of Jordan
• 1952 - Harry Tavitian was born. Romanian Jazz musician
• 1953 - Hulk Hogan was born. Professional wrestler
• 1953 - Tazio Nuvolari dies (b. 1892). Italian race car driver.
• 1954 - Joe Jackson was born. Singer
• 1954 - Juan Maria Solare was born. Composer and pianist
• 1955 - Sylvia Hermon was born. British politician.
• 1956 - Jackson Pollock dies in an automobile accident (b. 1912). American artist.
• 1957 - Richie Ramone was born. American drummer (The Ramones)
• 1960 - Chad declares independence
• 1964 - Jim Lee was born. Comic book artist and publisher.
• 1965 - Race riots begin in Watts area of Los Angeles, California. In the week that followed, 34 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured.
• 1966 - John Lennon held a press conference in Chicago excusing himself from the "Jesus affair"
• 1967 - Joe Rogan was born. Comedian, television host
• 1967 - Enrique Bunbury was born. Spanish rock singer/songwriter
• 1970 - Andy Bell was born. Bass player (Oasis)
• 1970 - Gianluca Pessotto was born. Italian football player
• 1970 - Karina Barum was born. Brazilian actress.
• 1970 - A trademark application by the Van Brode Milling Company for the word Spork was published by the USPTO.
• 1972 - Last United States ground combat unit departs South Vietnam
• 1972 - Jonathon Prandi American male model
• 1972 - Max Theiler dies. South African virologist and Nobel Prize winner
• 1974 - Audrey Mestre was born. Freediver.
• 1977 - Frederick Williams dies. Inventor of the mercury tube
• 1978 - Chris Kelly was born. Rapper (Kris Kross)
• 1978 - Legionnaire's disease bacteria was isolated in Atlanta.
• 1980 - Lee Suggs was born. American football player
• 1984 - Carl Lewis duplicated Jesse Owens' 1936 feat with 4 Olympic track gold medals.
• 1984 - António Leitão conquista a medalha de bronze na final dos 5 000 metros nos XXIII Jogos Olímpicos, em Los Angeles, EUA.
• 1984 - Alfred A. Knopf dies (b. 1892). American publisher.
• 1984 - Morre Raul de Carvalho (n. 15 Fev 1901). Actor português.
• 1987 - Alan Greenspan becomes Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve.
• 1988 - Anne Ramsey dies (b. 1929). American actress.
• 1991- The three original Nicktoons, Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren and Stimpy Show make their debuts on the Nickelodeon cable channel.
• 1994 - The Tenth International Conference on AIDS concluded in Yokohama, Japan.
• 1994 - Peter Cushing dies. English actor.
• 1994 - Joao B "Nino" Vieira elected President of Guinee-Bissau
• 1995 - A TTC subway accident took place when a southbound train hit the back of a stationary train, killing three people. see Russell Hill Subway accident.
• 1996 - Rafael Kubelik dies (b. 1914). Czech-born conductor and composer.
• 1998 - Steve Fossett (54) became the first man to cross the south Atlantic in aballoon. He was on his 4th attempt to float around the world.
• 1999 - A total solar eclipse visible from Europe and Asia.
• 2001 - In northwestern Angola a train carrying hundreds of refugees and some soldiers hit a mine and derailed. Refugees were machine-gunned and over 252 were killed. Unita forces claimed responsibility.
• 2001 - Carlos Calado com a marca de 8m 21cm consegue a medalha de bronze no Salto em Comprimento dos 8ºs Campeonatos do Mundo de Atletismo, em Edmonton (8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Edmonton 2001). Ivan Pedroso de Cuba ganhou com 8m 40 a medalha de ouro e Savante Stringfellow dos Estados Unidos ganhou a prata com 8m 24
• 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 - Charles Taylor resigned as Liberia's president and went into exile in Nigeria.
• 2003 - Armand Borel dies (b. 1923). Swiss mathematician.
• 2003 - Diana Mitford dies (b. 1910). Widow of British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley
• 2003 - Herb Brooks dies (b. 1937). Hockey coach.
• 2005 - Murderer Mitchell Johnson is released from prison on his 21st birthday.
• 2005 - James Booth dies (b. 1927). English actor.
• 2006 - The last software patent will expire on the GIF format.
• Zimbabwe - Heroes Day
• Brazil - Student´s Day, Lawyer´s Day, Foundation of the Law Studies in Brazil
• Taiwan - Valentine's Day
• Roman Catholicism - feasts of St. Susanna , St. Clare of Assisi