Historical Events on January 11

  • 1759: The first life insurance company in America is incorporated. It’s called the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers and is incorporated in the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.
  • 1787: Two moons of the planet Uranus are discovered by William Herschel. These two moons are Oberon and Titania.
  • 1861: Alabama officially secedes from the U.S.
  • 1863: Admiral David Dixon Porter and General John McClernand and their Union forces capture the Arkansas River at the Battle of Arkansas Port during the American Civil War.
  • 1863: A Confederate vessel – the CSS Alabama – sinks the USS Hatteras off of Galveston Lighthouse in Texas during the American Civil War.
  • 1908: The Grand Canyon National Monument is officially created for the American public.
  • 1922: Insulin is first used to treat diabetes in humans on this date.
  • 1927: Head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Louis B. Mayer announces that an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is going to be created.
  • 1935: Amelia Earhart not only becomes the first woman to fly solo from Hawaii to California, but she becomes the first person to do it.
  • 1942: Kuala Lumpur is captured by Japanese Imperial forces during WWII.
  • 1942: At the Battle of Tarakan during World War II, Japanese Imperial forces attack Tarakan in Borneo.
  • 1996: When the STS-72 launches from Kennedy Space Center it marks the 10th flight of the Endeavor and the 74th Space Shuttle Mission overall.

Famous Birthdays on January 11

  • American economist and 1stS Secretary of the Treasurer, Alexander Hamilton is born in 1755.
  • English architect and engineer, Samuel Bentham is born in 1757.
  • English surgeon and pathologist, James Paget is born in 1814.
  • American activist Alice Paul is born in 1885
  • American ecologist and author, Aldo Leopold is born in 1887.
  • American historian and author, Bernard Devoto is born in 1897.
  • Australian-American actor and screenwriter, Rod Taylor is born in 1930.