May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 234 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about May 11th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about May 11th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- World Plumbing Day.
- World Ego Awareness Day.
- National Twilight Zone Day
- National Eat What You Want Day
- Donate A Day’s Wages To Charity Day
- National Root Canal Appreciation Day
- National Receptionists Day
- School Nurse Day
- National Third Shift Workers Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – May 11
2000: India’s population officially reached 1 billion in 2000.
1998: India executes a series of nuclear weapons tests
The detonations raised fears of a nuclear conflict in the area and sparked international protests. On May 13, 1998, India officially declared itself a nuclear power.
1997: IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated Garry Kasparov in chess in 1997.
1996: ValuJet flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff
All 110 people on board lost their lives in the crash that was caused by a fire in the cargo compartment.
1985: 56 football fans die in a stadium fire
During a match against Lincoln City, the wooden stands at Valley Parade football ground went up in flames. The exits were locked. A burning cigarette thrown into a waste bin has been determined as the probable cause of the disaster.
1981: The musical Cats is premiered
The piece sparked a musical craze around the world and catapulted the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to stardom.
1956: Ghana becomes the first African nation to give independence from Britain in 1956.
868: The earliest surviving dated printed book is produced in China
The “Diamond Sutra” is one of the most important texts in Mahayana Buddhism. The British Library in London presently houses the copy.
1920: Marie Curie, 1920
1899: Pluto Lamps. The Victorian Gas Lamps sold hot cups of coffee, tea and cocoa. Inauguration of the first Pluto lamps in Exmouth Street, London 1899.
1897: Recovered photo from the doomed balloon expedition to the North Pole by Salomon Andrée in 1897.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, May 11
1918: Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1904: Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter
1888: Irving Berlin, American composer
1861: Frederick Russell Burnham, American soldier, adventurer
1838: Walter Goodman, English painter, illustrator, author
1918: Sir Richard Feynman was born
Salvador Dali was born.
Andres Iniesta was born.
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, May 11
2001: Douglas Adams, English/American author, playwright
1988: Kim Philby, British spy, Soviet double agent
1981: Bob Marley, Jamaican/American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1778: William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1760: Alaungpaya, Burmese king
Bob Marley died.
Norman Llyod died
Peggy Lipton died.