October 11 is the 284th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 81 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about October 11th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about October 11th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Coming Out Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – October 11
2000: 100th Mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program
Also known as the Space Transportation System or STS, the program was the first in the world to employ reusable spacecraft to take people into outer space. The first flight of the space shuttle fleet, which included Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour took place on April 12, 1981. The 100th flight was on space shuttle Discovery and the mission was designated STS-92. It was the 30th time Discovery had flown into space.
1984: First American Woman to walk in Space
Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan undertook a 3.5-hour long space walk with fellow astronaut David Leestma while on the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-G. The spacewalk was performed to demonstrate the possibility of refueling a satellite. STS-41-G was the first flight mission to carry two women astronauts – Sullivan and Sally Ride.
1975: The First Episode of Saturday Night Live Airs
A popular sketch comedy show, SNL, as it is popularly known, was initially called NBC’s Saturday Night, and it was created and produced by Lorne Michaels. The original cast members of the show, which usually opens with the slogan “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”, included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase.
1911: Wuchang Uprising
The Wuchang Uprising occurred in Wuchang, China, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. This day is celebrated as an important holiday in Taiwan.
1899: Second Boer War Begins
The almost 3-year long conflict was fought between British and Irish troops and the Boers from the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The war began as a result of disagreements between the two sides over the ownership of gold and diamond mines in the region. The two countries were annexed by the British at the end of the war in May 1902. The word Boer is the Afrikaans word for farmer and it was used at that time to refer to Afrikaans-speaking settlers in the region.
1962: Rome 11 Oct 1962 – Panorama inside St. Peter’s Basilica during the 2nd Vatican Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church
1907: IBM filed its first patent.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, October 11
1989: Michelle Wie, American golfer
1942: Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor
1937: Bobby Charlton, English footballer
1884: Eleanor Roosevelt, American politician, humanitarian, 34th First Lady of the United States
1739: Grigory Potemkin, Russian military leader, politician
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, October 11
2008: Jörg Haider, Austrian politician, Governor of Carinthia
2004: Keith Miller, Australian cricketer, pilot
1963: Édith Piaf, French singer-songwriter, actress
1896: Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer
1531: Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor, theologian