Born on This Day Eleanor Roosevelt First Lady, diplomat and activist who championed human rights, women’s rights and the United Nations. American choreographer and director whose innovative work on “West Side Story” revolutionized dancing on stage and film. Grammy-winning rapper and reality-TV star best known for her hits “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.” Astronaut Kathy Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a spacewalk. She and crewmate David Leestma exit the Space Shuttle Challenger for 3.5 hours to test a refueling process for satellites in orbit. Also on This Day in History Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 11th William Howe named commander in chief of British army General William Howe is named the interim commander in chief of the British army in America on October 11, 1775, replacing Lieutenant General Thomas Gage. He was permanently appointed to the post in April 1776. General Howe’s first major battles against his American counterpart, General George Washington, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, came during […] Benedict Arnold fights valiantly at Valcour Island On October 11, 1776, a British fleet under Sir Guy Carleton defeats 15 American gunboats under the command of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, in what is now Clinton County, New York. Although nearly all of Arnold’s ships were destroyed, it took more than two days for […] Meriwether Lewis dies along the Natchez Trace, Tennessee On October 11, 1809, the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances in the early hours of the morning after stopping for the night at Grinder’s Tavern along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee. Three years earlier, Lewis and his co-commander, William Clark, had completed their exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and the […] Boer War begins in South Africa The South African Boer War begins between the British Empire and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of southern Africa. Britain took possession of the Dutch Cape colony in 1806 during the Napoleonic wars, sparking resistance from the […]

Bulgaria enters World War I On October 11, 1915, Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov of Bulgaria issues a statement announcing his country’s entrance into the First World War on the side of the Central Powers. Secretly courted by both sides in World War I as a potential ally in the tumultuous Balkan region, Bulgaria eventually decided in favor of the Central […] Pope John XXIII opens Vatican II Pope John XXIII convenes an ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church—the first in 92 years. In summoning the ecumenical council—a general meeting of the bishops of the church—the pope hoped to bring spiritual rebirth to Catholicism and cultivate greater unity with the other branches of Christianity. Pope John reached the papacy from simple, peasant […] Apollo 7 launched Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, is launched with astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Jr.; Donn F. Eisele; and Walter Cunningham aboard. Under the command of Schirra, the crew of Apollo 7 conducted an 11-day orbit of Earth, during which the crew transmitted the first live television broadcasts from orbit. John Lennon’s “Imagine” is released October 11, 1971 sees the release of John Lennon’s single “Imagine,” one of the most influential songs of the 20 century. Lennon began writing the song while still a member of the Beatles, at a time when the band had achieved unprecedented popularity but struggled to cope with their new reality. The song’s idealistic, utopian […] Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham marry On October 11, 1975, William Jefferson Clinton marries Hillary Rodham in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bill and Hillary met in 1972 while both were studying law at Yale University; both also worked on George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. After marrying, they settled in Arkansas, where Clinton immersed himself in politics and practiced law until he decided to run for […] “Saturday Night Live” debuts On October 11, 1975, “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), a topical comedy sketch show featuring Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman, makes its debut on NBC. The 90-minute program, which from its inception has been broadcast live from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center, includes a different guest […] Bruce Springsteen scores his first pop hit with “Born to Run” On October 11, 1975, the epic single “Born to Run” became Bruce Springsteen’s first-ever Top 40 hit, marking the start of his eventual transition from little-known cult figure to international superstar. By 1975, 26-year-old Bruce Springsteen had two heavily promoted major-label albums behind him, but nothing approaching a popular hit. Tapped by Columbia Records as […] AIDS Quilt displayed for the first time on the National Mall The memorial covered a space larger than a football field.