Historical events on July 11
JULY 11, 1864
A riot broke out in Leicester, England, at the failed launching of a gas balloon (pictured).
The Leicester balloon riot took place at Leicester's Victoria Park on 11 July 1864. It occurred at a test flight of a
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JULY 11, 1792
The Belfast Harp Festival, an early event in the Gaelic revival, began at the Assembly Rooms.
The Belfast Harp Festival, called by contemporary writers The Belfast Harpers Assembly, 11–14 July 1792, was a three-day musical and patriotic event
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JULY 11, 1789
French Revolution: Jacques Necker was dismissed as Director-General of Finances of France, sparking public demonstrations in Paris that led to the storming of the Bastille.
The French Revolution was a period of political and societal change in France which began with the Estates General of 1789 and
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JULY 11, 2011
An explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 13 people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy.
On 11 July 2011, at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, situated at Mari, Larnaca District in Cyprus, a large amount of ammunition and
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JULY 11, 2010
The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.
Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam
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JULY 11, 1801
French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons co-discovered the first of his 37 comets, more than any other person in history.
Jean-Louis Pons was a French astronomer. Despite humble beginnings and being self-taught, he went on to become the greatest visual comet discoverer
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JULY 11, 1960
To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee featuring themes of racial injustice and the loss of innocence in the Deep South of America, was published.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release;
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JULY 11, 1302
Franco-Flemish War: Flemish infantry defeated a large French army near Kortrijk at the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
The Franco-Flemish War was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders between 1297 and 1305.
JULY 11, 1848
Waterloo Bridge Station, which later became Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage, was opened by the London and South Western Railway.
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a major central London railway terminus on the National Rail network in the United
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JULY 11, 1833
Yagan, a Noongar warrior wanted for leading attacks on British colonists in Western Australia, was killed, becoming a symbol of the unjust and sometimes brutal treatment of indigenous Australians by colonial settlers.
Yagan was an Aboriginal Australian warrior from the Noongar people. Yagan was pursued by the local authorities after he killed Erin Entwhistle,
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JULY 11, 1936
New York City's Triborough Bridge, the "biggest traffic machine ever built", opened to traffic.
The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge is a complex of bridges and elevated expressway viaducts in New York City. The bridges link the
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JULY 11, 1928
Archaeologist Ivan Borkovský discovered a medieval skeleton at Prague Castle; competing factions claimed the skeleton as Germanic or Slavic in origin.
Ivan Borkovský was a Czechoslovakian archaeologist. He spent his early career as a soldier fighting for the Austro-Hungarian Army against the Russians
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JULY 11, 1405
An expeditionary fleet led by Zheng He set sail for foreign regions of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, marking the start of Ming China's treasure voyages.
Zheng He was a Chinese admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in
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JULY 11, 1864
American Civil War: Confederate forces under Jubal Early began an unsuccessful attempt to capture Washington, D.C..
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in
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JULY 11, 1991
Shortly after taking off from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 caught fire and crashed, killing all 261 people on board.
Jeddah, alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda, is a governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the
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JULY 11, 1846
British soldier Frederick John White died after a flogging, leading to a campaign to end the practice in the British Army.
Frederick John White was a private in the British Army's 7th Hussars. While serving at the Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow, in 1846, White
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