History Events on January 11

American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States.

#Alabama

Grand Canyon National Monument is created.

#Grand_Canyon_National_Park

Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.

#Arauco_War

Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.

#Surgeon_General_of_the_United_States

East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh.

#East_Pakistan

Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments.

#Occupation_of_the_Ruhr

A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.

#1693_Sicily_earthquake

American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.

#CSS_Alabama

The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty.

#Republic_of_China_(1912-1949)

Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

#Amelia_Earhart

Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.

#Nika_riots

The Anglo-Zulu War begins.

#Anglo-Zulu_War

Austrian nobility is granted freedom of religion.

#Archduchy_of_Austria

The Michigan Territory is created.

#Michigan_Territory

Immigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week.

#Lawrence,_Massachusetts

Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.

#Ching-Thang_Khomba

An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths.

#Huascarán

World War II: Japanese forces capture Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States.

#Empire_of_Japan

Italian-American anarchist Carlo Tresca is assassinated in New York City.

#Carlo_Tresca

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company is incorporated.

#Philadelphia

Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People's Republic of Albania with himself as head of state.

#Enver_Hoxha

Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.

#Cold_War

Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.

#Space_Shuttle_program

First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient.

#Insulin

The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin.

#Republic_of_Ireland

William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus.

#William_Herschel

First recorded lottery in England.

#Lottery

Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announces the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.

#Louis_B._Mayer

One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.

#Bulo_Marer_hostage_rescue_attempt

Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River, linking New York City's boroughs of The Bronx and Queens, opens to road traffic.

#Throgs_Neck_Bridge

The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened.

#Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges

American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.

#American_Civil_War

Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois's death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.

#Governor_of_Illinois

Ryutaro Hashimoto, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister of Japan.

#Ryutaro_Hashimoto

Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria.

Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.

The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal.

The first "networked" television broadcasts took place as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.

World War II: Japanese forces attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan)

The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.

Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia.

Theodora is crowned empress of the Byzantine Empire.

Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.

Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.