What Happened On
Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit
Sullivan walking in space to check an antenna (left) and Sullivan in spacesuit
First U.S. Woman to Walk in Space
October 11, 1984
Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
Last Hand-Crank Telephone Call
October 11, 1983
The last hand-crank magneto telephone call is made (Bryant Pond Telephone Company in Bryant Pond, Maine).
Just Say No
October 11, 1983
U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan officially introduces her anti-drug philosophy, "Just Say No". The phrase "Just Say No" first emerged in 1982 when Nancy Reagan was visiting Longfellow Elementary School in Oakland, California. When asked by a schoolgirl what to do if she was offered drugs, she responded: "Just say no."
Sid & Nancy movie poster
Sid & Nancy movie poster
Sid & Nancy: "Nauseating Nancy" Murdered
October 11, 1978
Former Sex Pistol member Sid Vicious' girlfriend, known as "nauseating Nancy" Spungen is stabbed to death at her and Sid's New York hotel room. Sid died of a heroin overdose while awaiting trial for her murder.
The film Sid and Nancy (1986) was based on their relationship.
Original cast of Saturday Night Live
Original cast of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
October 11, 1975
"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" The Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live television variety show debuts on NBC, featuring the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players". The original title was NBC's Saturday Night. The original cast included Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase.
Color TV - False Start
October 11, 1950
The FCC chooses CBS's version of color television for public broadcasts. A lawsuit by RCA, who developed a competing system, delayed the first commercial network color broadcast until June 25, 1951.
However, the CBS system was doomed. CBS's version was not compatible with existing black and white TV sets. The RCA system was. When the quest for color began in 1948, there were fewer than a million U.S. TV sets. By 1951, however, there were over 10 million. The incompatibility with existing sets and the high costs of CBS color sets doomed the CBS color system. CBS discontinued it in October of 1951, claiming it was at the request of the National Production Authority due to the Korean War. CBS then bought back the color sets it had sold to prevent lawsuits by disappointed customers. Only 100 of the 200 produced had been shipped. The FCC dropped the CBS system and went on to adopt a color system that was compatible with existing black and white sets.
CBS's was a mechanical television system that used a disc of color filters rotating at 1440 rpm inside the camera and the receiver. Each filter would capture/display red, green, and blue portions of the images in sequence, relying on the human eye to blend the colors together. To operate within the mandated 6 MHz bandwidth for each TV channel, the image's vertical resolution was reduced to 77% of the current monochrome broadcasts (from 525 lines to 405), and the horizontal resolution was reduced to 54% of the monochrome system.
Edwin C. Shanahan
Edwin C. Shanahan
First FBI Agent Killed in the Line of Duty
October 11, 1925
Special agent Edwin C. Shanahan is killed by Martin James Durkin while trying to apprehend him. Durkin was wanted for the attempted murder of four Chicago police officers. Several weeks later Durkin shot and killed a Chicago police officer. Durkin was sentenced to 35 years for the murder and 15 years for auto theft. He was released from prison in 1954.
President Bush on War in Afghanistan
October 11, 2001
"We learned some very important lessons in Vietnam. Perhaps the most important lesson that I learned is that you cannot fight a guerrilla war with conventional forces" - U.S. President George W. Bush's response to the question, "can you avoid being drawn into a Vietnam-like quagmire in Afghanistan?"
Hill testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Hill testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Anita Hill
October 11, 1991
Anita Hill testifies that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her while he was her boss. Thomas had been her supervisor at the United States Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Thomas denied the claims and was ultimately seated on the Supreme Court.
Apollo 7
October 11, 1968
Apollo 7 is launched. It sent the first live TV transmission from space. Apollo 7 was the first mission in the Apollo program to carry men into space.
Handley Page Type O plane
Handley Page Type O plane
First Airline In-Flight Meal
October 11, 1919
A cold boxed lunch is offered on Handley Page Transport flights. Passengers could choose from a selection of sandwiches and fruit on their London-Paris route. The company's first planes were Handley Page Type O/400 bombers, originally built for World War I, modified for passenger use.
Birthdays
Roosevelt in 1933 (left) and in 1898
Roosevelt in 1933 (left) and in 1898
Eleanor Roosevelt
Born October 11, 1884 d. 1962
American First Lady. She served as First Lady of the United States during her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office (1933-45). She was politically active, known for her support of civil rights, she was the first First Lady to hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column, host a weekly radio show, and speak at a national party convention.
She also served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952.
Henry John Heinz
Born October 11, 1844 d. 1919
American food manufacturer. He founded H.J. Heinz Co. (1869), introducing the marketing slogan "57 pickle Varieties" in 1896. Heinz later stated that he chose "57" because "5" was his lucky number and "7" was his wife's. However, by then Heinz was selling much more than 57 products. The first product promoted under the "57 varieties" slogan was horseradish and by 1940 "Heinz 57" was used to market their steak sauce.
The "57" is perfect spot to strike their glass ketchup bottle to make the ketchup pour out.
Luke Perry
Born October 11, 1966 d. 2019
American actor. TV: Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-95, Dylan McKay) and Riverdale (1998-2000, Fred Andrews).
Andrew Woolfolk
Born October 11, 1950 d. 2022
American reeds player, with Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).
Daryl Hall (Daryl Hohl)
Born October 11, 1946
American Hall of Fame songwriter, singer with Hall & Oates. Music: Sara Smile (1976, about Hall's then-girlfriend, Sara Allen), and Maneater (1982, #1). TV: Live from Daryl's House (2007-, host)
Roscoe Robinson Jr.
Born October 11, 1928 d. 1993
American brigadier general, first black U.S. four-star general.
Mickey Daniels (Richard Daniels, Jr.)
Born October 11, 1914 d. 1970
American actor, appeared in 49 of the Our Gang films.
Joseph W. Alsop
Born October 11, 1910 d. 1989
American syndicated political columnist. Co-wrote the columns Capitol Parade (1937-40) and Matter of Fact (1945-58).
Eddie Dyer
Born October 11, 1900 d. 1964
American baseball player, manager. He was the first rookie manager to win the World Series (1946, St. Louis Cardinals).
Friedrich Bergius
Born October 11, 1884 d. 1949
German Nobel-winning chemist. He invented the process of producing synthetic fuel from coal (Bergius process), developed a process for converting wood into sugar, and contributed to the invention and development of chemical high-pressure methods (1931 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Carl Bosch).
YMCA Founder
Sir George Williams
Born October 11, 1821 d. 1905
English merchant. Founded the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA, 1844). He wanted to create a place for young men that would not tempt them into sin.
Wilhelm Olbers
Born October 11, 1758 d. 1840
German astronomer. He discovered two asteroids (including Vesta), several comets, a method of determining their orbits, and Olbers' Paradox: "If the stars are distributed evenly through infinite space, why is the night sky dark?"
Deaths
Alexey A. Leonov
Alexey A. Leonov
First Human to Walk in Space
Alexey A. Leonov
Died October 11, 2019 b. 1934
Russian cosmonaut. First human to walk in space. In March 1965, he exited the capsule Voskhod 2 for a 12-minute 9-second spacewalk.
Leonov almost didn't make it back into the spacecraft. During his spacewalk, his spacesuit had inflated in the vacuum of space to the point where he could not fit back through the airlock. He had to open a valve to allow some of his suit's pressure to bleed off and was just barely able to get back in.
While on the mission, Leonov drew a small sketch of an orbital sunrise, producing the first ever work of art made in outer space.
Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford)
Died October 11, 1991 b. 1922
American actor. Redd Foxx is known for his role as Fred Sanford on TV's Sanford & Son (1972-77), having named his character after his brother Fred Sanford, Jr. He and LaWanda Page, who played Aunt Esther on the show, were childhood friends in St. Louis.
His character Fred Sanford was so well known for faking a heart attack and saying, "This is the big one, Elizabeth! I'm coming to join ya, honey," that when he collapsed from a real heart attack on the set of The Royal Family TV show and called out the name of his wife, the cast and crew thought he was joking around. He died later that night at the age of 68.
Redd Foxx was the only entertainer to attend Elvis Presley's wedding (1967).
Chico Marx (Leonard Marx)
Died October 11, 1961 b. 1887
American comedian. Piano-playing Marx Brother.
First FBI Agent Killed in the Line of Duty
Edwin C. Shanahan
Died October 11, 1925 b. 1893
American lawman. The first FBI agent killed in the line of duty. In 1925, he was attempting to apprehend Martin James Durkin in Chicago, Illinois when Durkin shot and killed him. Several weeks later Durkin shot and killed a Chicago police officer. Durkin was sentenced to 35 years for the murder and 15 years for auto theft. He was released from prison in 1954.
The Spirit of '76
The Spirit of '76
Archibald M. Willard
Died October 11, 1918 b. 1836
American artist. He is best known for his painting The Spirit of '76, which is exhibited in Abbott Hall in Massachusetts and is often imitated and parodied. Willard's father was the model for the man in the middle.
Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right)
Rudolph Isley (left) with Ronald Isley (middle) and O'Kelly Isley Jr. (right)
Rudolph Isley (Rudolph "Rudy" Bernard Isley)
Died October 11, 2023 b. 1939
American Grammy-winning singer, with the Isley Brothers. Music: Twist and Shout (1962), This Old Heart of Mine (1966), and It's Your Thing (1970, Grammy).
Angela Lansbury
Died October 11, 2022 b. 1925
Irish-British-American Tony-winning actress. TV: Murder She Wrote (1984-96, Jessica Fletcher).
Robert Forster (Robert Wallace Forster Jr.)
Died October 11, 2019 b. 1941
American actor. TV: Banyon (1971-73, Miles Banyon). Film: Medium Cool (1969, John Cassellis), The Black Hole (1979, Captain Dan Holland), The Delta Force (1986, Abdul Rafai), and Jackie Brown (1997, Max Cherry).
Neal Hefti
Died October 11, 2008 b. 1922
American composer, bandleader. He scored the themes for the films Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), and the TV series Batman (1966).
Tex Williams (Sol Williams)
Died October 11, 1985 b. 1917
American country singer. Music: Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) (1947, #1), which was Capitol Records' first million-seller.
Photo Credit: National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History
Photo Credit: National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History
James Earle Fraser
Died October 11, 1953 b. 1876
American sculptor. He designed the U.S. Buffalo nickel.
James Prescott Joule
Died October 11, 1889 b. 1818
English physicist, for whom Joule's Law is named.
Meriwether Lewis
Died October 11, 1809 b. 1774
American soldier, explorer, governor of Louisiana territory. He and William Clark explored the American West (1804-06) establishing a route to the Pacific.
Casimir Pulaski
Died October 11, 1779 b. 1745
Polish general and American Revolutionary War hero. He and Michael Kovats de Fabriczy were known as "the fathers of the American cavalry". He fought for both Polish and American independence, saving George Washington's life during the American Revolution. Pulaski was mortally wounded by grapeshot while attempting to rally fleeing French forces during a cavalry charge.
Louis IV
Died October 11, 1347 b. circa 1287
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1314-47).
Boniface VIII
Died October 11, 1303 b. circa 1228
193rd Pope (1294-1303). He did not believe in the immortality of the soul.