July 11
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1897: Launch of Salomon August AndrĂ©eâs balloon-based polar expedition
On this day Swedish engineer Salomon August AndrĂ©e launched an ambitious plan to become the first explorer to see the North Pole. Instead of attempting this by foot, AndrĂ©e, engineer Knut FrĂŠnkel, and photographer Nils Strindberg would travel via hydrogen-filled balloonâa âshipâ they named Ărnen (Swedish for âeagleâ). Within an hour of their launch from the Svalbard archipelago, about 600 miles from their target, the balloon had drifted so high that spectators lost sight of it. The men were never seen alive again.
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© The Picture Art Collection/Alamy; Photo Illustration EncyclopÊdia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
© North Wind Picture Archives
Duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
Outraged over disparaging remarks that Alexander Hamilton had allegedly made at a dinner party, Aaron Burr challenged his longtime rival to a duel, and on this day in 1804 he fatally shot Hamilton in Weehawken, New Jersey. [Read more about this and other famous duels.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
The Granger Collection, New York
Born this day in 1274, Scottish king Robert the Bruce freed Scotland from English rule, winning the decisive Battle of Bannockburn (1314) and ultimately confirming Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).
Famous Birthdays
More on July 11
© Xinhua/David de la PazâXinhua News Agency/Getty Images
2015
Mexican criminal JoaquĂn GuzmĂĄn, who was head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, escaped from prison, using a lengthy underground tunnel; a massive manhunt followed, and he was captured again some six months later. [Test your knowledge of criminality and famous outlaws.]
Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum; photograph, Robert Knudsen
2007
American first lady (1963â69) and environmentalist Lady Bird Johnsonâthe wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th president of the United Statesâdied in Texas. [Take our quiz about the first ladies of the United States.]
© Archive Photos
1989
British actor Laurence Olivier, arguably the greatest English-speaking actor of the 20th century, died near London. [Test your knowledge of actors and acting.]
NASA
1979
Parts of Skylab, the United Statesâ first space station, entered the Earthâs atmosphere, broke up, and scattered debris over the southeastern Indian Ocean and Western Australia.
© Terrence Antonio JamesâTribune Content Agency LLC/Alamy
1960
American author Harper Leeâs To Kill a Mockingbird was published and became a classic, noted for its sensitive treatment of a childâs awakening to racism and prejudice in the South. [How much do you know about To Kill a Mockingbird?]
© Rich Grant/Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
1955
The U.S. Air Force Academy officially opened at temporary quarters at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado.
UPI/Corbis-Bettmann
1953
Leon Spinks, who, like his brother Michael, won a world boxing titleâthe first set of brothers to do soâwas born in St. Louis, Missouri. [Take our sports quiz.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1936
The Triborough Bridge (later renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge), designed by David Barnard Steinman, opened in New York City. [Test your knowledge of bridges.]
Roger JacksonâCentral Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1916
Australian politician Gough Whitlamâwho served as his countryâs prime minister from 1972 until 1975, when he was dismissed by the governor-generalâwas born in Kew, Victoria. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Australia.]
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1914
George Herman (âBabeâ) Ruth played in his first major league baseball game, for the Boston Red Sox. [See where Babe Ruth ranks on our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1863
Angered by unfair practices in Civil War conscription, New York City workers rioted and attacked draft headquarters. [Read more about this and other U.S. riots in our list.]
Joe Rosenthal/AP
1798
The U.S. Marine Corps, originally established in 1775, was formally reestablished. [How much do you know about U.S. history?]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1302
In the Battle of the Golden Spurs, an untrained Flemish infantry militia defeated a professional force of French and patrician Flemish cavalry, thus halting the growth of French control over Belgium. [Match the battle with the war in our quiz.]