October 11
This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Sunday, or Thursday than a Friday or Saturday, and slightly less likely to fall on a Monday or Wednesday.
Events
- 1138 - A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever.
- 1142 - A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars.
- 1311 - The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of English kings with the Ordinances of 1311.
- 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed in battle with the Roman Catholic cantons of Switzerland.
- 1614 - The New Netherland Company applies to the States General of the Netherlands for exclusive trading rights in what is now the northeastern United States.
- 1634 - The Burchardi flood kills around 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark and Germany.
- 1649 - Cromwell's New Model Army Sacks Wexford, killing over 2,000 Irish Confederate troops and 1,500 civilians.
- 1767 - Surveying for the Mason–Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania is completed.
- 1776 - American Revolution: A fleet of American boats on Lake Champlain is defeated by the Royal Navy, but delays the British advance until 1777.
- 1797 - The Royal Navy decisively defeats the Batavian Navy at Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1811 - The Juliana begins operation as the first steam-powered ferry in New York harbor.
- 1840 - The Maronite leader Bashir Shihab II surrenders to the Ottoman Empire and later is sent to Malta in exile.
- 1852 - The University of Sydney, Australia's oldest university, is inaugurated in Sydney.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Confederate troops conduct a raid on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
- 1865 - Hundreds of black men and women march in Jamaica, starting the Morant Bay rebellion.
- 1890 - In Washington, D.C., the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.
- 1899 - The Second Boer War erupts in South Africa between the British-ruled Cape Colony, and the Boer-ruled Transvaal and Orange Free State.
- 1906 - San Francisco sparks a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Japan by ordering segregated schools for Japanese students.
- 1910 - Piloted by Arch Hoxsey, Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane.
- 1912 - First Balkan War: The day after the Battle of Sarantaporo, Greek troops liberate the city of Kozani.
- 1918 - The 7.1 San Fermín earthquake shakes Puerto Rico. The quake and resulting tsunami kill up to 116 people.
- 1937 - The Duke and Duchess of Windsor tour Nazi Germany for 12 days and meet Adolf Hitler on the 22nd.
- 1941 - Beginning of the National Liberation War of Macedonia.
- 1942 - World War II: Off Guadalcanal, United States Navy ships intercept and defeat a Japanese force.
- 1944 - The Tuvan People's Republic is annexed by the Soviet Union.
- 1950 - CBS's field-sequential color system for television is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
- 1954 - In accord with the 1954 Geneva Conference, French troops complete their withdrawal from North Vietnam.
- 1958 - NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe, although it fails to achieve a stable orbit.
- 1962 - The Second Vatican Council becomes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.
- 1968 - NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission.
- 1972 - A race riot occurs on the United States Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam.
- 1976 - George Washington is to the grade of General of the Armies.
- 1984 - Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.
- 1984 - Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashes into maintenance vehicles upon landing in Omsk, Russia, killing 178.
- 1986 - Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland to continue discussions about scaling back IRBM arsenals in Europe.
- 1987 - The AIDS Memorial Quilt is first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
- 1987 - Start of Operation Pawan by Indian forces in Sri Lanka. Thousands of civilians, insurgents, soldiers die.
- 1991 - Prof. Anita Hill delivers her televised testimony concerning sexual harassment during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination.
- 2000 - NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission.
- 2001 - The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.
- 2002 - A bomb attack in a shopping mall in Finland kills seven.
- 2013 - A migrant boat sinks in the Channel of Sicily, with at least 34 people drowning.
- 2018 - Soyuz MS-10, launching an intended crew for the ISS, suffers an in-flight abort. The crew lands safely.
Births
- 1492 - Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France, French noble
- 1552 - Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, Grand Prince of Moscow
- 1616 - Andreas Gryphius, German poet and playwright
- 1661 - Melchior de Polignac, French cardinal and poet
- 1671 - Frederick IV of Denmark
- 1672 - Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian-Romanian diplomat
- 1675 - Samuel Clarke, English minister and philosopher
- 1738 - Arthur Phillip, English admiral and politician, 1st Governor of New South Wales
- 1739 - Grigory Potemkin, Russian general and politician
- 1758 - Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, German physician and astronomer
- 1786 - Stevenson Archer, American judge and politician
- 1788 - Simon Sechter, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor
- 1793 - Maria James, Welsh-born American poet, domestic servant
- 1803 - Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian general and geologist
- 1814 - Jean-Baptiste Lamy, French-American archbishop
- 1815 - Pierre Napoléon Bonaparte, Italian-French politician
- 1821 - George Williams, English philanthropist, founded the YMCA
- 1835 - Theodore Thomas, American conductor, founded the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- 1844 - Henry J. Heinz, American businessman, founded the H. J. Heinz Company
- 1865 - Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian philologist and author
- 1871 - Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian evangelist, founded the Brunstad Christian Church
- 1872 - Emily Davison, English educator and activist
- 1872 - Harlan F. Stone, American lawyer and jurist, 12th Chief Justice of the United States
- 1879 - Ernst Mally, Austrian philosopher and academic
- 1881 - Hans Kelsen, Czech-American jurist and philosopher
- 1884 - Friedrich Bergius, German-Argentinian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt, American humanitarian and politician, 39th First Lady of the United States
- 1884 - Sig Ruman, German-American actor
- 1885 - François Mauriac, French novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1890 - A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician
- 1894 - Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian educator and lieutenant
- 1896 - Roman Jakobson, Russian-American linguist and theorist
- 1897 - Nathan Farragut Twining, American general
- 1899 - Eddie Dyer, American baseball player and manager
- 1901 - Masanobu Tsuji, Japanese colonel and politician
- 1902 - Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian activist and politician
- 1905 - Fred Trump, American real estate entrepreneur
- 1910 - Cahit Arf, Turkish mathematician and academic
- 1911 - Nello Pagani, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver
- 1913 - Joe Simon, American author and illustrator
- 1915 - T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet
- 1916 - Nanaji Deshmukh, Indian educator and activist
- 1918 - Fred Bodsworth, Canadian journalist and author
- 1918 - Jerome Robbins, American director, producer, and choreographer
- 1919 - Art Blakey, American drummer and bandleader
- 1919 - Douglas Albert Munro, United States Coast Guard signalman, posthumously awarded Medal of Honor
- 1922 - G. C. Edmondson, American soldier and author
- 1924 - André Emmerich, German-American art dealer
- 1924 - Sammy McCrory, Northern Irish footballer
- 1924 - Mal Whitfield, American athlete
- 1925 - Elmore Leonard, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
- 1926 - Jean Alexander, English actress
- 1926 - Yvon Dupuis, Canadian politician
- 1926 - Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese monk, author, and poet
- 1926 - Earle Hyman, American actor
- 1926 - Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales
- 1927 - Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium
- 1927 - Jim Prior, Baron Prior, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1928 - Alfonso de Portago, Spanish race car driver and bobsledder
- 1928 - Roscoe Robinson, Jr., American general
- 1928 - Geoffrey Tordoff, Baron Tordoff, English businessman and politician
- 1929 - Curtis Amy, American saxophonist and clarinetist
- 1930 - Michael Edwardes, South African-English businessman
- 1930 - LaVell Edwards, American football player and coach
- 1930 - Sam Johnson, American colonel and politician
- 1932 - Saul Friedländer, Israeli historian and author
- 1932 - Barry Jones, Australian lawyer and politician
- 1932 - Dottie West, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1935 - Dan Evins, American businessman, founded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
- 1935 - Daniel Quinn, American author and environmentalist
- 1936 - C. Gordon Fullerton, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut
- 1936 - Billy Higgins, American drummer and educator
- 1936 - James M. McPherson, American historian and author
- 1937 - Bobby Charlton, English footballer and manager
- 1937 - R. H. W. Dillard, American poet, author, and critic
- 1937 - Ron Leibman, American actor and screenwriter
- 1938 - Michael Stear, English air marshal
- 1939 - Maria Bueno, Brazilian tennis player
- 1939 - Austin Currie, Northern Irish lawyer and SDLP politician
- 1940 - Lucy Morgan, American newspaper reporter
- 1941 - Lester Bowie, American trumpet player and composer
- 1942 - Richard Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton, Welsh academic and politician
- 1942 - Amitabh Bachchan, Indian film actor, producer, television host, and former politician
- 1943 - Keith Boyce, Barbadian cricketer
- 1943 - Michael Harloe, English sociologist and academic
- 1943 - John Nettles, English actor and writer
- 1943 - Ilmar Reepalu, Swedish lawyer and politician
- 1943 - Gene Watson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1944 - Rodney Marsh, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
- 1945 - Andrew Logan, English sculptor and painter
- 1945 - Dusty Rhodes, American wrestler
- 1946 - Elinor Goodman, English journalist
- 1946 - Daryl Hall, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1946 - Sawao Kato, Japanese gymnast
- 1947 - Thomas Boswell, American journalist and author
- 1947 - Lucas Papademos, Greek economist and politician, 183rd Prime Minister of Greece
- 1947 - Alan Pascoe, English hurdler
- 1948 - David Rendall, English tenor and actor
- 1948 - Peter Turkson, Ghanaian cardinal
- 1949 - Henry Luke Orombi, Ugandan archbishop
- 1949 - Lawrence Tanter, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1950 - William R. Forstchen, American historian and author
- 1950 - Amos Gitai, Israeli director, producer, and author
- 1950 - Patty Murray, American educator and politician
- 1951 - Bruce Bartlett, American economist, historian, and author
- 1951 - Jean-Jacques Goldman, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 - Jon Miller, American sportscaster
- 1951 - Louise Rennison, English author and comedian
- 1951 - Charles Shyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1952 - Paulette Carlson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 - David Morse, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 - David Michaels, American epidemiologist and politician
- 1954 - Vojislav Šešelj, Serbian lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
- 1955 - Norm Nixon, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1956 - Nicanor Duarte, Paraguayan lawyer and politician, President of Paraguay
- 1956 - Derek Ringer, Scottish race car driver
- 1957 - Francky Dury, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1957 - Dawn French, Welsh-English actress, comedian and screenwriter
- 1959 - Wayne Gardner, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1959 - Allan Little, Scottish journalist and author
- 1960 - Randy Breuer, American basketball player
- 1960 - Nicola Bryant, English actress
- 1960 - Curt Ford, American baseball player and manager
- 1960 - Gábor Pölöskei, Hungarian footballer and manager
- 1961 - Neil Buchanan, English guitarist
- 1961 - Steve Young, American football player and sportscaster
- 1962 - Joan Cusack, American actress
- 1962 - Andy McCoy, Finnish musician
- 1963 - Marcus Graham, Australian actor
- 1963 - Brian Rice, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1963 - Ronny Rosenthal, Israeli-English footballer
- 1964 - Michael J. Nelson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1965 - Sean Patrick Flanery, American actor and producer
- 1965 - Alexander Hacke, German singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1965 - Orlando Hernández, Cuban baseball player
- 1965 - Volodymyr Horilyi, Ukrainian footballer and coach
- 1966 - Luke Perry, American actor and producer
- 1966 - Todd Snider, American singer-songwriter
- 1966 - Stephen Williams, Welsh lawyer and politician
- 1967 - Jay Grdina, American businessman and pornographic actor
- 1967 - Artie Lange, American actor and comedian
- 1967 - David Starr, American race car driver
- 1968 - Jane Krakowski, American actress and singer
- 1968 - Claude Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 - Brett Salisbury, American football player and author
- 1969 - Merieme Chadid, Moroccan astronomer and explorer
- 1969 - Stephen Moyer, English actor
- 1969 - Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
- 1970 - Chidi Ahanotu, American football player
- 1970 - Vanessa Harding, American wrestler
- 1970 - MC Lyte, American rapper, DJ, and actress
- 1970 - Andy Marriott, English-Welsh footballer and manager
- 1970 - Shin Tae-yong, South Korean footballer and coach
- 1971 - Petra Haden, American violinist and singer
- 1971 - Justin Lin, American film director
- 1971 - Oleksandr Pomazun, Ukrainian footballer and manager
- 1972 - Marcus Bai, Papua New Guinean rugby league player
- 1973 - Brendan B. Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 - Greg Chalmers, Australian golfer
- 1973 - Steven Pressley, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1973 - Niki Xanthou, Greek long jumper
- 1973 - Dmitri Young, American baseball player and radio host
- 1974 - Jason Arnott, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 - Rachel Barton Pine, American violinist and educator
- 1976 - Dominic Aitchison, Scottish bass player and songwriter
- 1976 - Emily Deschanel, American actress and producer
- 1977 - Matt Bomer, American actor and producer
- 1977 - Igor Figueiredo, Brazilian snooker player
- 1977 - Jérémie Janot, French footballer and manager
- 1977 - Desmond Mason, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1977 - Rhett MacLaughlin, American Youtuber
- 1977 - Ty Wigginton, American baseball player
- 1978 - Carl Bussey, American soccer player
- 1978 - Takuya Kawaguchi, Japanese footballer
- 1979 - Jamar Beasley, American football player
- 1979 - Andy Douglas, American wrestler
- 1979 - Kim Yong-dae, South Korean footballer
- 1980 - Nyron Nosworthy, English footballer
- 1982 - Cameron Knowles, New Zealand footballer
- 1982 - Jeff Larish, American baseball player
- 1982 - Terrell Suggs, American football player
- 1982 - Mauricio Victorino, Uruguayan footballer
- 1984 - Sergio Hellings, Dutch footballer
- 1984 - Martha MacIsaac, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1984 - Zeb Taia, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
- 1984 - Jane Zhang, Chinese singer-songwriter
- 1985 - Nesta Carter, Jamaican sprinter
- 1985 - Yang Cheng, Chinese footballer
- 1985 - Álvaro Fernández, Uruguayan footballer
- 1985 - Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
- 1986 - Ikioi Shōta, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1987 - Tony Beltran, American soccer player
- 1987 - Mike Conley, Jr., American basketball player
- 1987 - Nathan Coulter-Nile, Australian cricketer
- 1988 - Omar Gonzalez, American soccer player
- 1988 - Ricochet, American wrestler
- 1989 - Michelle Wie, American golfer
- 1990 - Joo, South Korean singer and actress
- 1990 - Sebastian Rode, German footballer
- 1991 - Kika van Es, Dutch footballer
- 1991 - Toby Fox, American video game developer and composer
- 1992 - Riffi Mandanda, Congolese footballer
- 1992 - Ligi Sao, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1993 - Hardik Pandya, Indian cricketer
- 1992 - Christian Davis, English cricketer
- 1992 - Cardi B, American rapper
- 1994 - Clésio Baúque, Mozambican footballer
- 1994 - T.J. Watt, American football player
- 1995 - Nicolás Jarry, Chilean tennis player
- 2001 - Daniel Maldini, Italian footballer
Deaths
- 965 - Bruno the Great, Archbishop of Cologne
- 1086 - Sima Guang, Chinese historian and statesman
- 1159 - William of Blois, Count of Boulogne and Earl of Surrey
- 1188 - Robert I, Count of Dreux
- 1303 - Pope Boniface VIII
- 1347 - Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1424 - Jan Žižka, Czech general and Hussite leader
- 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian
- 1542 - Thomas Wyatt, English poet and diplomat
- 1579 - Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman politician, 43rd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
- 1667 - Mattias de' Medici, Italian noble
- 1684 - James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven
- 1698 - William Molyneux, Irish philosopher and writer
- 1705 - Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker
- 1708 - Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, physician, and philosopher
- 1721 - Edward Colston, English merchant and politician
- 1725 - Hans Herr, Swiss-American bishop
- 1779 - Casimir Pulaski, Polish-American general
- 1809 - Meriwether Lewis, American captain, explorer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Louisiana Territory
- 1821 - John Ross Key, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
- 1837 - Samuel Wesley, English organist and composer
- 1852 - Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician and academic
- 1889 - James Prescott Joule, English physicist and brewer
- 1896 - Edward Benson, English archbishop
- 1896 - Anton Bruckner, Austrian organist, composer, and educator
- 1897 - Léon Boëllmann, French organist and composer
- 1904 - Mary Tenney Gray, American editorial writer, club-woman, philanthropist, and suffragette
- 1908 - Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist
- 1932 - William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician
- 1935 - Steele Rudd, Australian author
- 1940 - Vito Volterra, Italian mathematician and physicist
- 1941 - Heinrich Gutkin, Estonian businessman and politician
- 1941 - Mihkel Pung, Estonian politician, 11th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1958 - Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter
- 1961 - Chico Marx, American comedian
- 1963 - Jean Cocteau, French author, poet, and playwright
- 1965 - Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist
- 1965 - Walther Stampfli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 50th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1967 - Stanley Morison, typographer, known for work on Times New Roman font
- 1968 - Selim Sarper, Turkish educator and politician, 13th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1971 - Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna
- 1971 - Chesty Puller, American general
- 1976 - Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author, screenwriter, and songwriter
- 1977 - MacKinlay Kantor, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
- 1983 - R. Fraser Armstrong, Canadian administrator and engineer
- 1984 - Benno Schotz, Scottish sculptor and engineer
- 1986 - Norm Cash, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1988 - Bonita Granville, American actress
- 1989 - M. King Hubbert, American geologist and academic
- 1991 - Redd Foxx, American actor and comedian
- 1993 - Andy Stewart, Scottish singer and entertainer
- 1996 - Keith Boyce, Barbadian cricketer
- 1996 - Eleanor Cameron, Canadian-American author and critic
- 1996 - Renato Russo, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1996 - Joe Morris, English-Canadian lieutenant and trade union leader
- 1998 - Richard Denning, American actor
- 1999 - Leo Lionni, Dutch-American author and illustrator
- 2000 - Luc-Marie Bayle, French historian, photographer, and painter
- 2000 - Donald Dewar, Scottish lawyer and politician, 1st First Minister of Scotland
- 2001 - Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, and illustrator
- 2004 - Keith Miller, Australian cricketer and pilot
- 2005 - Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Pakistani-Canadian linguist, journalist, and poet
- 2005 - Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and journalist
- 2005 - Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland
- 2006 - Cory Lidle, American baseball player
- 2007 - David Lee "Tex" Hill, South Korean-American general and pilot
- 2007 - Werner von Trapp, Austrian-American singer
- 2008 - Marjorie Fletcher, English Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service
- 2008 - Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia
- 2008 - Ernst-Paul Hasselbach, Surinamese-Dutch television host and producer
- 2008 - Neal Hefti, American trumpet player and composer
- 2009 - Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist
- 2009 - Halit Refiğ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 2012 - Helmut Haller, German footballer and coach
- 2012 - Edward Kossoy, Polish lawyer, publicist, and activist
- 2012 - Édgar Negret, Colombian sculptor
- 2012 - Champ Summers, American baseball player and coach
- 2013 - María de Villota, Spanish race car driver
- 2013 - Johnny Kovatch, American football player and coach
- 2013 - Erich Priebke, German captain
- 2013 - William H. Sullivan, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines
- 2014 - Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano
- 2014 - Carmelo Simeone, Argentinian footballer
- 2014 - Bob Such, Australian educator and politician
- 2015 - Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager
- 2015 - Jack Drake, American lawyer and politician
- 2017 - Clifford Husbands, Barbadian politician
- 2019 - Alexei Leonov, Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and first human to conduct a spacewalk
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast days:
- * Agilbert
- * Alexander Sauli
- * Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus
- * Æthelburh of Barking
- * Bruno the Great
- * Cainnech of Aghaboe
- * Gratus of Oloron
- * Gummarus
- * James the Deacon
- * Lommán of Trim
- * Maria Soledad Torres y Acosta
- * Nectarius of Constantinople
- * Nicasius, Quirinus, Scubiculus, and Pientia
- * Philip the Evangelist
- * Pope John XXIII
- * Zenaida and Philonella
- * October 11
- General Pulaski Memorial Day
- International Day of the Girl Child
- International Newspaper Carrier Day
- National Coming Out Day
- Old Michaelmas Day
- Revolution Day