11th August anniversaries

• Birth
  • 1737
  • Great Britain
  • "Birth of Joseph Nollekens, sculptor"
  • 1858
  • Ireland
  • The first ascent of the Eiger was made by Irish mountaineer Charles Barrington and Swiss guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren.
  • 1858
  • Netherlands
  • "Birth of Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician, Nobel Prize winner ."
• event
  • 1587
  • Great Britain
  • Raleigh's second expedition to New World lands in North Carolina – first child born in the New World of English parents was Virginia Dare (Aug 18)
  • 1711
  • Great Britain
  • First race meeting at Ascot
  • 1875
  • Great Britain
  • The Last public hanging in Britain when Joseph Phillip Le Brun was executed for murder on the island of Jersey
  • 1909
  • United States
  • "The SS Arapahoe became the first American ship to transmit the SOS distress signal when it lost its propeller off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. (See 10th June 1909 for the first use of SOS globally)"
  • 1919
  • Germany
  • The Weimar Republic was established in Germany
  • 1929
  • United States
  • American baseball star Babe Ruth became the first player to hit 500 home runs in his career
  • 1934
  • United States
  • The first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay
  • 1960
  • Chad
  • Chad became independent
  • 1968
  • Great Britain
  • The last regular steam passenger train service ran in Britain .
  • 1984
  • United States
  • "There was controversy in the womens 3,000 metres final at the Los Angeles Olympics when American favourite Mary Decker and South-African-born British athlete Zola Budd collided and Decker crashed out of the race. (The question of who was to blame has neve"
  • 1999
  • Great Britain
  • "The last total solar eclipse of the 20th century was visible from parts of mainland Britain, and was witnessed by around 350m people worldwide"
• Death
  • 1494
  • Belgium
  • "Death of Hans Memling, artist"
  • 1881
  • Great Britain
  • "Death in Damascus of Jane Digby, English adventuress" more
  • 1890
  • Great Britain
  • "Death of John Henry Newman, theologian and Cardinal"
  • 1919
  • United States
  • "Death of Andrew Carnegie, steel magnate and philanthropist"
  • 1937
  • United States
  • Death of Edith Wharton