TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON: AUG 11
3114 BC The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins
1856 A band of rampaging settlers in California kill four Yokut Indians. The settlers had heard unproven rumors of Yokut atrocities
1860 The first successful silver mill in America began operations. The mill was in Virginia City, NV.
1877 The two moons of Mars were discovered by Asaph Hall, an American astronomer. He named them Phobos and Deimos.
1906 In France, Eugene Lauste receives the first patent for a talking film.
1934 The first inmates arrived at the federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
1941 The Atlantic Charter was signed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
1945 Allies refuse Japan’s surrender offer to retain Emperor Hirohito
1952 King Hussein of Jordan ascended the throne after his father had been declared mentally unfit.
1954 Formal peace takes place, ending 7+ yrs of fighting in Indochina between French & Communist Vietminh
1960 Chad gains its independence from the French
1965 A small clash between the California Highway Patrol and two black youths sets off six days of rioting in the Watts area of Los Angeles.
1972 The last U.S. ground forces withdraw from Vietnam.
1984 During a radio voice test Pres Reagan joked he “signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in 5 minutes”
1988 Al Qaeda formed at a meeting in Peshawar, Pakistan.
1989 Voyager 2 discovers two partial rings around Neptune.
1990 Troops from Egypt and Morocco arrive in Saudi Arabia as part of the international operation to prevent Iraq from invading.
1992 Mall of America Opens its Doors to Shoppers
1994 A U.S. federal jury awarded $286.8 million to about 10,000 commercial fishermen for losses as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
1997 U.S. President Clinton made the first use of the line-item veto approved by Congress, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills.
2003 NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
REFERENCE: HISTORY.NET, ONTHISDAY.COM, TIMEANDDATE.COM, INFOPLEASE.COM, FACTMONSTER.COM, SCOPESYS.COM, ON-THIS-DAY.COM, THEPEOPLEHISTORY.COM
