June 11
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Featured Event
© 1982 Amblin Entertainment/Universal Pictures; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1982 moviegoers met the lovable alien at the heart of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. The emotional sci-fi hit opened to $11.8 million and became a box-office phenomenon, earning nearly $360 million domestically. It held the record as the highest-grossing film until Spielberg’s Jurassic Park surpassed it in 1993.[Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Stock Connection/SuperStock
My philosophy is not that of stones that say you must leave behind your estates and monuments, but of the wind—which says you blow wherever you want and do whatever you want when you want to do it.
Born this day in 1910 was French naval officer and ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, who conducted extensive undersea investigations, invented the Aqua-Lung, and wrote, produced, and appeared in films about the ocean.
Famous Birthdays
More on June 11
© 1989 Do the Right Thing/Universal Pictures
2014
American actress and activist Ruby Dee, who was known for her pioneering work in African American theater and film and for her outspoken civil rights activism, died at age 91. [Take our quiz about actors and acting.]
© Hannah Peters/Getty Images
2010
The 19th men’s FIFA World Cup opened in the host country of South Africa, marking the first time that the tournament was played on the African continent. [Explore which national teams have participated in the FIFA World Cup.]
American Idol Prod/19 Tv/Fox Tv Network/Fremantle Media North America/Kobal/Shutterstock.com
2002
The reality competition TV series American Idol debuted, and it became one of the most-watched shows in the United States.
David Longstreath/AP Images.
2001
Timothy McVeigh—convicted of the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people in what was then the worst terrorist attack in the U.S.—was executed.
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1950
Capping a dramatic recovery from a near-fatal automobile accident, American golfer Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open. [Test your knowledge of golf.]
© Bob Grannis/Leila Grossman—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
1949
Hank Williams debuted on the Grand Ole Opry radio show with “Lovesick Blues.” Thrilled by his performance, the audience demanded that he sing it six more times.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1927
American aviator Charles Lindbergh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. [Take our quiz about early aviation.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1919
With his victory in the Belmont Stakes, Sir Barton became the first winner of the Triple Crown of American horse racing. [Test your knowledge of famous horses.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1898
The Guangxu emperor issued his first reform decree initiating the Hundred Days of Reform, an imperial attempt at renovating the Chinese state and social system. [Sort fact from fiction in our China quiz.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1880
Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to be a member of the U.S. Congress (1917–19, 1941–43), was born in Montana. [Test your knowledge of famous firsts for women.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1742
The empress Maria Theresa of Austria decided to make peace with Prussian King Frederick II, ceding almost all of Silesia to him in the Treaty of Breslau, which marked the end of the First Silesian War. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European history.]
© Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com
1509
Henry VIII wed Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. Pope Clement VII’s later refusal to annul the marriage triggered the break between Henry and the Roman Catholic Church and led to the English Reformation. [How much do you know about Henry VIII and his wives?]