October 11 facts for kids

October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 81 days remain until the end of the year.

October 11th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient times to the present day. It's a day when important treaties were signed, new inventions appeared, and famous people were born or passed away. Let's explore some of the key moments that happened on this date.

Important Events in History

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 1138 – A huge earthquake hit Aleppo, a city in Syria. It was one of the most powerful and damaging earthquakes ever recorded.
• 1142 – A peace treaty was signed, bringing an end to the Jin–Song wars between different groups in China.
• 1311 – In England, important people like nobles and church leaders created the Ordinances of 1311. These rules limited the power of the English kings.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1614 – The New Netherland Company asked the Dutch government for special rights to trade in an area that is now the northeastern United States. This area was called New Netherland.
• 1634 – The Burchardi flood caused a lot of damage and sadly killed about 15,000 people in parts of Germany and Denmark.
• 1649 – During a conflict, Cromwell's New Model Army attacked the town of Wexford in Ireland.
• 1776 – American Revolution: On Lake Champlain, American boats fought the Royal Navy in the Battle of Valcour Island. The Americans lost, but they managed to slow down the British army until the next year.
• 1797 – The Royal Navy won a big victory against the Batavian Navy at the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.
• 1811 – The Juliana started working as the first ferry boat in New York harbor that used a steam engine.
• 1852 – The University of Sydney officially opened in Australia. It is the oldest university in the country.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Soldiers from the Confederate side raided Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1865 – Many black men and women marched in Jamaica, which marked the beginning of the Morant Bay rebellion.
• 1890 – The Daughters of the American Revolution, an organization focused on American history, was founded in Washington, D.C.
• 1899 – The Second Boer War began in South Africa. This was a conflict between the British and the Boers, who were settlers of Dutch origin.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1906 – San Francisco caused a problem between the United States and Japan. The city ordered that Japanese students go to separate schools.
• 1910 – Arch Hoxsey flew Theodore Roosevelt, who became the first U.S. president to ever ride in an airplane.
• 1918 – A strong earthquake and a tsunami hit Puerto Rico, causing many deaths.
• 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited Nazi Germany and met Adolf Hitler.
• 1942 – World War II: Near Guadalcanal, ships from the United States Navy stopped and defeated a Japanese force.
• 1944 – The Tuvan People's Republic became part of the Soviet Union.
• 1950 – CBS's new color television system was approved for broadcasting in the U.S.
• 1958 – NASA launched Pioneer 1, which was their first space probe. However, it did not reach a stable orbit around Earth.
• 1961 – The first meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement took place in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. This movement was for countries that didn't want to pick a side in the Cold War.
• 1962 – The Second Vatican Council began. This was a very important meeting for the Roman Catholic Church, the first in 92 years.
• 1968 – NASA launched Apollo 7, which was the first successful Apollo mission with a crew on board.
• 1976 – George Washington, the first U.S. president, was given the highest military rank possible, General of the Armies, after his death.
• 1984 – Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. This happened during a mission on the Space Shuttle Challenger.
• 1984 – Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashed while landing in Omsk, Russia, and many people died.
• 1986 – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Iceland to talk about reducing nuclear weapons.
• 1987 – The AIDS Memorial Quilt, a large quilt made to remember people who died from AIDS, was shown for the first time.
• 2000 – NASA launched STS-92, which was the 100th mission for the Space Shuttle program.
• 2002 – A bomb attack happened in a shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland, killing seven people.
• 2018 – The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft had a problem during launch, but the crew landed safely.

Famous Birthdays

Many interesting people were born on October 11th:

Born Before 1900

• 1738 – Arthur Phillip, an English admiral who became the first Governor of New South Wales in Australia.
• 1758 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, a German doctor and astronomer who discovered asteroids.
• 1821 – George Williams, an English person who started the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association).
• 1844 – Henry J. Heinz, an American businessman who founded the famous H. J. Heinz Company.
• 1872 – Emily Davison, an English activist who fought for women's right to vote.
• 1884 – Friedrich Bergius, a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1884 – Eleanor Roosevelt, an American humanitarian and politician, who was the 32nd First Lady of the United States.
• 1885 – François Mauriac, a French writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Born After 1900

• 1913 – Joe Simon, an American writer and artist who helped create Captain America comics.
• 1919 – Art Blakey, an American drummer and bandleader known for jazz music.
• 1925 – Elmore Leonard, an American writer famous for his crime novels.
• 1926 – Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Vietnamese monk, writer, and poet who taught about peace.
• 1937 – Bobby Charlton, a famous English footballer and manager.
• 1942 – Amitabh Bachchan, a very well-known Indian film actor and producer.
• 1946 – Daryl Hall, an American singer-songwriter, part of the duo Hall & Oates.
• 1957 – Dawn French, a popular Welsh-English actress and comedian.
• 1961 – Steve Young, a famous American football player and sportscaster.
• 1962 – Joan Cusack, an American actress.
• 1966 – Luke Perry, an American actor.
• 1968 – Jane Krakowski, an American actress and singer.
• 1976 – Emily Deschanel, an American actress and producer.
• 1977 – Matt Bomer, an American actor and producer.
• 1992 – Cardi B, a popular American rapper.
• 1994 – T. J. Watt, an American football player.
• 1996 – Rhea Ripley, an Australian professional wrestler.

Notable Deaths

Some important people passed away on October 11th:

Died Before 1900

• 1086 – Sima Guang, a Chinese historian and statesman.
• 1303 – Pope Boniface VIII, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1347 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, a powerful ruler in Europe.
• 1424 – Jan Žižka, a Czech general and leader.
• 1531 – Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss pastor and important figure in the Protestant Reformation.
• 1542 – Thomas Wyatt, an English poet and diplomat.
• 1779 – Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-American general who fought in the American Revolution.
• 1809 – Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer and politician, famous for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
• 1889 – James Prescott Joule, an English physicist known for his work on heat and energy.
• 1896 – Anton Bruckner, an Austrian organist and composer.

Died After 1900

• 1940 – Vito Volterra, an Italian mathematician and physicist.
• 1958 – Maurice de Vlaminck, a French painter.
• 1961 – Chico Marx, an American comedian, one of the Marx Brothers.
• 1963 – Jean Cocteau, a French author, poet, and playwright.
• 1965 – Dorothea Lange, an American photographer and journalist.
• 1991 – Redd Foxx, an American actor and comedian.
• 2000 – Donald Dewar, a Scottish politician who became the first First Minister of Scotland.
• 2006 – Cory Lidle, an American baseball player.
• 2008 – Jörg Haider, an Austrian lawyer and politician.
• 2019 – Alexei Leonov, a Soviet/Russian cosmonaut who was the first human to perform a spacewalk.
• 2022 – Angela Lansbury, a famous English-American actress, singer, and producer.

Special Days and Celebrations

October 11th is also a day for various observances:

• General Pulaski Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States.
• International Day of the Girl Child focuses on promoting the rights and empowerment of girls around the world.
• International Newspaper Carrier Day honors the people who deliver newspapers.
• National Coming Out Day is a day for supporting LGBTQ+ individuals.
• Revolution Day is celebrated in North Macedonia.

See also

In Spanish: 11 de octubre para niños