# What happened on August 11 in history?

**Date:** August 11  
**Events recorded:** 52  
**Years spanned:** 3114 BC – 2023  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/august/11/

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## Featured Event

**2003** — NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO)

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## Events on this date

- **3114 BC** — The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32nd_century_BC))
- **2492 BC** — Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25th_century_BC))
- **106** — The south-western part of Dacia (modern Romania) becomes a Roman province: Roman Dacia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_106))
- **117** — Hadrian is proclaimed Roman emperor, two days after Trajan's death. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_117))
- **355** — Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvanus_(magister_peditum)))
- **490** — Battle 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths))
- **923** — The Qarmatians of Bahrayn capture and pillage the city of Basra. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qarmatians))
- **1315** — The Great Famine of Europe becomes so dire that even the king of England has difficulties buying bread for himself and his entourage. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_of_1315%E2%80%931317))
- **1332** — Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor: Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_Scottish_Independence))
- **1473** — The Battle of Otlukbeli: Mehmed the Conqueror of the Ottoman Empire decisively defeats Uzun Hassan of Aq Qoyunlu. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Otlukbeli))
- **1492** — Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Alexander VI. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI))
- **1675** — Franco-Dutch War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire defeat the French in the Battle of Konzer Brücke. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Dutch_War))
- **1685** — Morean War: The 49-day Siege of Coron ends with the surrender and massacre of its garrison by the Venetians. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morean_War))
- **1786** — Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Light))
- **1804** — Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor))
- **1812** — Peninsular War: French troops engage British-Portuguese forces in the Battle of Majadahonda. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_War))
- **1813** — In Colombia, Juan del Corral declares the independence of Antioquia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia))
- **1858** — The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiger))
- **1871** — An explosion of guncotton occurs in Stowmarket, England, killing 28. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stowmarket_Guncotton_Explosion))
- **1898** — Spanish–American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War))
- **1918** — World War I: The Battle of Amiens ends. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1919** — Germany's Weimar Constitution is signed into law. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Constitution))
- **1920** — The 1920 Cork hunger strike begins which eventually results in the deaths of three Irish Republicans including the Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_Cork_hunger_strike))
- **1920** — The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian%E2%80%93Soviet_Peace_Treaty))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth))
- **1934** — The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary))
- **1942** — Actress 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr))
- **1945** — Poles in Kraków engage in a pogrom against Jews in the city, killing one and wounding five. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w))
- **1952** — Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein_of_Jordan))
- **1959** — Sheremetyevo International Airport, the second-largest airport in Russia, opens. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheremetyevo_International_Airport))
- **1960** — Chad declares independence from France. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad))
- **1961** — The former Portuguese territories in India of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are merged to create the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India))
- **1962** — Vostok 3 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_3_and_4))
- **1965** — Race riots (the Watts Riots) begin in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_riots))
- **1969** — The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the Moon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11))
- **1972** — Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit leaves South Vietnam. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War))
- **1973** — At 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1520_Sedgwick_Avenue))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timor-Leste))
- **1979** — Two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s collide over the Ukrainian city of Dniprodzerzhynsk and crash, killing all 178 aboard both airliners. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot))
- **1982** — A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing one passenger and injuring 15 others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_830))
- **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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_begin_bombing_in_five_minutes))
- **1988** — A 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyed_Imam_Al-Sharif))
- **1991** — Nickelodeon's first line of "Nicktoons" (Doug, Rugrats & Ren & Stimpy) premiere on the channel. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon))
- **1992** — The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota opens. At the time the largest shopping mall in the United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mall_of_America))
- **1995** — The Russell Hill subway accident in Toronto kills 3 and injures 30, due to a combination of human error and a safety system design flaw. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Russell_Hill_subway_accident))
- **2000** — An 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_rage))
- **2003** — NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO))
- **2003** — Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jemaah_Islamiyah))
- **2006** — The 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_tanker))
- **2012** — At least 306 people are killed and 3,000 others injured in a pair of earthquakes near Tabriz, Iran. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_East_Azerbaijan_earthquakes))
- **2017** — At least 41 people are killed and another 179 injured after two passenger trains collide in Alexandria, Egypt. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_train_collision))
- **2023** — Luna 25 launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_25))

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## Notable births on August 11

- **2002** — **Marvin Harrison Jr.** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Harrison_Jr.))
- **2001** — **Moyuka Uchijima** — Japanese tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyuka_Uchijima))
- **1999** — **Gregoria Mariska Tunjung** — Indonesian badminton player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregoria_Mariska_Tunjung))
- **1999** — **Changbin** — South Korean rapper ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changbin))
- **1997** — **Sarah Clelland** — Scottish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Clelland))
- **1995** — **Brad Binder** — South African motorcycle racer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Binder))
- **1994** — **Storm Sanders** — Australian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Hunter))
- **1994** — **Anton Cooper** — New Zealand cross-country cyclist ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Cooper))
- **1994** — **Joseph Barbato** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Barbato))
- **1994** — **Song I-han** — South Korean singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_I-han))

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## Notable deaths on August 11

- **2025** — **Miguel Uribe Turbay** — Colombian precandidate to presidency (born 1986) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Uribe_Turbay))
- **2025** — **Danielle Spencer** — American actress (born 1965) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Spencer_(American_actress)))
- **2024** — **Ángel Salazar** — Cuban-American comedian and actor (born 1956) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ngel_Salazar))
- **2024** — **Noël Treanor** — Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Treanor))
- **2023** — **Mike Ahern** — Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Queensland (born 1942) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ahern_(Australian_politician)))
- **2022** — **Anne Heche** — American actress (born 1969) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Heche))
- **2022** — **Hanae Mori** — Japanese fashion designer (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanae_Mori))
- **2020** — **Trini Lopez** — American singer and guitarist (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trini_Lopez))
- **2020** — **Sumner Redstone** — American billionaire businessman (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumner_Redstone))
- **2019** — **Sergio Obeso Rivera** — Mexican Roman Catholic cardinal (born 1931) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Obeso_Rivera))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/august/11/](https://thisday.info/events/august/11/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.