What Happened On
Bombing of Russia Will Begin in 5 Minutes
August 11, 1984
U.S. President Ronald Reagan jokingly announces, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." Reagan made the joke to radio technicians during a sound check while preparing to give his weekly Saturday radio address on National Public Radio (NPR). After hearing about the comment, the Soviet Far East Army was placed on alert. The Soviet Army stayed on alert for 30 minutes.
American Graffiti
August 11, 1973
The movie American Graffiti is released. George Lucas' low-budget semi-autobiographical story of coming of age in the early 1960s was made on a budget of $777,000 and has become one of the most profitable films of all time. The cast included Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Suzanne Somers, and Wolfman Jack.
The Beatles - More Popular than Jesus
August 11, 1966
Beatles member John Lennon apologizes for earlier statements claiming the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and that Christianity would vanish. Lennon: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said it, really. I never meant it as a lousy, antireligious thing… If I had said television is more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it… originally I was pointing out that fact in reference to England - that we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion, at that time. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down, I was just saying it as a fact… I'm not saying that we're better, or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is, you know. I just said what I said and it was wrong, or was taken wrong. And now it's all this…"
Mark David Chapman would cite Lennon's comments on Jesus as one of the reasons he killed Lennon.
Burning buildings during Watts Riots
Burning buildings during Watts Riots
Watts Riots
August 11, 1965
Six days of rioting begin in Los Angeles after the arrest of Marquette Frye. 34 people were killed with $40,000,000 in damage.
21-year-old African-American Marquette Frye was pulled over for reckless driving. After administering a field sobriety test, the officer placed Frye under arrest and radioed for his vehicle to be impounded. Frye's brother, Ronald, a passenger in the vehicle, walked to their nearby house, and brought their mother, Rena Price, back to the scene of the arrest. A scuffle ensued in which Price was shoved. She then attacked a police officer. Rumors began to spread that the police had roughed up Frye and kicked a pregnant woman. Angry mobs started yelling and throwing objects at the police. The crowd continued to grow after the arrest of Frye, his brother, and his mother, and continued to grow through the night and next day. When the rioting erupted, 2,300 National Guardsman and 16,000 law enforcement personnel were called in. The streets of Watts turned into a war zone. It is estimated that between 31,000 and 35,000 adults participated in the riots. Over the six days of rioting, there were 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, 3,438 arrests, and over $40 million in property damage.
Lizzie, her home, father, and stepmother murdered
Lizzie, her home, father, and stepmother murdered
Lizzie Borden Murders
August 11, 1892
Lizzie Borden is arrested for the murders of her father and stepmother. They had been axed to death in their home a week earlier. She was tried and acquitted of the crime.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one."
Nazi's Son Nominated to Nation's Top Military Post
August 11, 1993
U.S. President Bill Clinton nominates Army general John Shalikashvili to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His father, Dimitri Shalikashvili, had been an officer in an elite Nazi military unit during World War II.
Dan Quayle - Oxygen on Mars
August 11, 1989
Apparently a little misinformed on astronomical data, U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle states, "Mars is essentially in the same orbit. Mars is somewhat the same distance from the sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen, that means we can breathe."
First Manned Transatlantic Unpowered Balloon Crossing
August 11, 1978
Three Americans take off from Maine. They arrived in France six days later.
Eisenhower inspects the recovered capsule
Eisenhower inspects the recovered capsule
First Object Successfully Recovered from Orbit
August 11, 1960
A 350-pound payload is ejected and recovered from the U.S. Earth satellite Discoverer XIII. It had been lauched the previous day and mode 17 orbits of the Earth. The payload included an American flag that was later presented to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Birthdays
Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea)
Born August 11, 1953
American Hall of Fame wrestler. He played Thunderlips in Rocky III (1982).
Hogan was the most requested celebrity during the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity.
In the 1994 trial of wresting promoter Vince McMahon, Hogan testified that he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to help gain size.
Steve "Woz" Wozniak
Born August 11, 1950
American computer engineer, co-founder of Apple Computer (1976) and creator of the Apple I and Apple II computers. He also designed the Atari game Breakout.
Inventor of the Popsicle
Frank Epperson
Born August 11, 1894 d. 1983
American inventor. Patented the Popsicle (1924). He claimed he discovered it when he was eleven years old and accidentally left a glass of lemonade with a mixing stick on a windowsill overnight causing it to freeze.
He originally called it the "Epsicle."
U.S. President For a Day?
David Rice Atchison
Born August 11, 1807 d. 1886
American politician. U.S. President for a Day? Some claim that on March 4, 1849 he became U.S. President for a day. Outgoing President James K. Polk's term ended at noon on March 4, which was a Sunday. His successor, Zachary Taylor, refused to be sworn into office on Sunday. Under the presidential succession law in place at the time, Atchison who was President pro tempore and therefore Acting Vice President, was believed by some to have become Acting President. And at 41 years of age, this would have made him the youngest ever U.S. President.
However, most historians dismiss this claim citing the Constitution doesn't require the President-elect to take the oath of office to hold the office, just to execute the powers. And since Atchison never swore the oath either, he did not become Acting President.
Father of Gymnastics
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn
Born August 11, 1778 d. 1852
German patriot, father of gymnastics. His teaching of gymnastics (1809) to young Berlin boys quickly spread to other cities. He introduced the balance beam, horizontal bar, the parallel bars, and the vaulting horse to gymnastics.
Photo Credit: David Gans
Photo Credit: David Gans
Joe Jackson (David Ian Jackson)
Born August 11, 1954
British singer. Music: Is She Really Going Out with Him? (1979) and Steppin' Out (1982).
Jerry Falwell (Jerry Lamon Falwell Sr.)
Born August 11, 1933 d. 2007
American fundamentalist Baptist pastor, televangelist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He also founded Lynchburg Christian Academy (1967, now Liberty Christian Academy), Liberty University (1971), and co-founded the Moral Majority (1979).
Falwell claimed God allowed the 9/11 Attacks to happen because LGBT organizations had angered God. While Falwell claimed homosexuality was against the Bible, he supported civil rights for the LGBT community.
Carl Thomas Rowan
Born August 11, 1925 d. 2000
American columnist. Although he was self-declared "strict gun control" advocate, in 1988 he was arrested for shooting a trespasser with an illegal hand gun. He had previously stated in his column that "…anyone found in possession of a handgun except a legitimate officer of the law goes to jail—period."
He also founded "Project Excellence," a college scholarship program for black high school seniors.
Alex Haley
Born August 11, 1921 d. 1992
American Pulitzer-winning author. Writings: Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976, Pulitzer). The 1977 TV miniseries Roots based on the book was watched by an estimated 130,000,000 people.
In 1978, Haley admitted that he copied large passages of Roots from the 1967 novel The African by Harold Courlander and settled out-of-court for $650,000.
Also, Haley's claim that he had traced his own ancestry back through slavery to a very specific individual and village in Africa as a basis for the book has been refuted by researchers.
Mike Douglas (Michael Dowd, Jr.)
Born August 11, 1920 d. 2006
American Emmy-winning TV host, singer. Film: Cinderella (1950, singing voice of Prince Charming). TV: The Mike Douglas Show (1961-81). One of his guests was two-year-old Tiger Woods who showed off his golf swing.
Dik Browne (Richard Arthur Allan Browne)
Born August 11, 1917 d. 1989
American cartoonist. Creator of Hägar the Horrible (1973) and co-creator of Hi and Lois (1954).
Carrie Jacobs Bond
Born August 11, 1862 d. 1946
American composer. Music: I Love You Truly and A Perfect Day.
Henry V
Born August 11, 1086 d. 1125
King of Germany (1099-1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (1111-25).
Deaths
Robin Williams
Died August 11, 2014 b. 1951
American actor. Film: The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), and Aladdin (1992, the voice of the genie). TV: Mork & Mindy (1978-82, Mork from Ork).
Clara Peller
Died August 11, 1987 b. 1902
American actress, TV personality. The "Where's the beef?" lady for the 1984 Wendy's commercials. Wendy's sales jumped 31% during the ad campaign. Peller was paid actor-scale wages of $317.40 per day for the first commercial. It is reported that she was paid about $500,000 for the series of commercials that followed.
Peller became an overnight sensation and went on to appear on TV talk shows, Saturday Night Live, and even served as a guest time-keeper for the Battle Royale at WrestleMania 2.
After she did a commercial for Prego spaghetti sauce in which she wondered, "Where's the beef?" and exclaimed, "I found it! I really found it", Wendy's terminated her contract stating, she was only allowed to find the beef at Wendy's.
General Anthony McAuliffe
Died August 11, 1975 b. 1898
American. His response to the Germans' request that he surrender during the Battle of the Bulge was "NUTS!"
The Germans had encircled the Allied forces with armored units and thinking they had certain victory, sent an ultimatum to McAuliffe to surrender or face immediate annihilation. Upon hearing the demand, McAuliffe replied, "Aw nuts". He then sent back the following message:
"To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander."
The 101st held off the Germans and the Battle of Bulge ended in an Allied victory. It was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II.
Mike Douglas (Michael Dowd, Jr.)
Died August 11, 2006 b. 1920
American Emmy-winning TV host, singer. Film: Cinderella (1950, singing voice of Prince Charming). TV: The Mike Douglas Show (1961-81). One of his guests was two-year-old Tiger Woods who showed off his golf swing.
Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin
Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin
Peter Cushing
Died August 11, 1994 b. 1913
English-born American actor. Film: Star Wars (1977, Grand Moff Tarkin) and numerous portrayals of Baron Frankenstein and Dracula.
Andrew Carnegie
Died August 11, 1919 b. 1835
American steel-magnate, philanthropist.
Thaddeus Stevens
Died August 11, 1868 b. 1792
American political leader. He introduced the 14th Amendment and the Reconstruction Act of Feb. 6, 1867.